ESWATINI RANKING IN MO IBRAHIM GOVERNANCE REPORT WORSENING

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation released the 2024 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), the latest iteration of the biennial dataset assessing governance performance and trends in the 54 African countries over the decade 2014-2023.

During the Launch Mo Ibrahim, the Founder and Chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, said: “The 2024 IIAG is a sobering reminder of the threat that a deepening security crisis and shrinking participatory environment poses to the continent’s progress. Of course, it also reflects the global crisis. Escalating conflicts and deepening mistrust in democratic institutions and values are not specific to Africa; we see it right around the world. But it is specifically concerning in Africa because it threatens our progress in economic and social development, as well as the advancements which we are yet to achieve.

Summarise

But let us not summarise, too quickly, Africa’s governance landscape under a single average. Ours is a huge continent of 54 countries, with highly diverging trends, some with strikingly successful trajectories, others with concerning warning signs. Indeed, deteriorations in Sudan, in Sahelian countries as well as in the DRC, Tunisia and Mauritius are concerning. However, the remarkable progress registered by countries such as Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Seychelles, Angola and Benin, and in some key areas, such as Infrastructure and Women’s Equality, should offer hope of what can be achieved.”

It is noted in the presser released that the 2024 IIAG shows that after four years of almost complete stagnation, Africa’s Overall Governance progress grounded to a halt in 2022 as rising conflict and insecurity, as well as a shrinking democratic space across the continent, undermine critical progress achieved in human and economic development. Over the decade 2014- 2023, there is progress for just over half (52.1 per cent) of Africa’s population, living in 33 out of 54 countries, but for the remaining half, the level of overall governance reached in 2023 is worse than in 2014.

However, this concerning picture at the continental average level masks very dynamic and diverse performances and trajectories across the 54 African countries and between the 16 IIAG sub-categories. At country level, 13 countries – including Egypt, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Somalia – manage to follow a successful course of overall governance progress over the decade, even accelerating improvement since 2019. The latter four also rank in the top 10 most improved countries between 2014 and 2023, along with Seychelles, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Angola, Mauritania and Djibouti. Seychelles, having made striking progress over the decade (+10.0 points), overtakes Mauritius and is the top-ranking country in 2023.

Concerning

Following an opposite course, 11 countries are on a concerning decade-long trend of deterioration that has worsened since 2019. Some of them, such as Sudan, grapple with ongoing crises. However, decade-long deteriorations are also seen in high-ranked countries. Mauritius (2nd), Botswana (5th), Namibia (6th) and Tunisia (9th), though still ranking in 2023 among the ten highest-scoring countries, also feature among the most deteriorated countries over 2014-2023, along with Comoros, Mali, Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Niger and Eswatini.

Eswatini governance, unfortunately, is among the deteriorating countries.  To this end, Eswatini’s overall Governance score has deteriorated over the last decade (2014-2023) and has done so at an accelerated pace over the most recent five years (2019-2023). With a score of 44.5 (out of 100.0), Eswatini ranks 35th (out of 54) in overall Governance in 2023. It is critical that the current Administration led by His Excellency Russell Dlamini and Parliament should analyse this report and take measures to improve the worse performing areas.  Without good governance, emaSwati will continue to suffer!

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