With a score of 46.5 out of 100, Nigeria has been ranked 36th in the 2016 Mo Ibrahim International Index for Governance in Africa
According to the foundation, Nigeria’s score improved by +2.5 points over the last 10 years. The rating released yesterday, showed that Nigeria was one of 10 countries that improved across all four sub-categories of the Sustainable Economic Opportunity category.
It however, revealed that Nigeria recorded the second most deteriorated score in the National Security sub-category, having declined by -28.6 points over the course of the decade.
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation also revealed that improvement in overall governance in Africa over the past 10 years had been held back by widespread deterioration in the category of safety and rule of law.
It also stated that the improvement in the Participation and Human Rights category, found in 37 countries across the continent, was driven by progress in Gender and in Participation, adding that a marginal deterioration appears in the Rights sub-category with some worrying trends in indicators relating to the civil society space.
Human Development has been the best performing category over the last decade, with 43 countries – home to 87 per cent of African citizens – registering progress. All dimensions – Education, Health and Welfare – improved, although progress in the sub-category Welfare was affected by decline in Social Exclusion and Poverty Reduction Priorities indicators.
Commenting on the findings, the Chairman of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Mo Ibrahim said: “The improvement in overall governance in Africa over the last decade reflects a positive trend in a majority of countries and for over two-thirds of the continent’s citizens.”
He further stated that: “No success, no progress can be sustained without constant commitment and effort. As our Index reveals, the decline in safety and rule of law is the biggest issue facing the continent today. Sound governance and wise leadership are fundamental to tackling this challenge, sustaining recent progress and ensuring that Africa’s future is bright.
