African governance: Seychelles ranked 1st on governance on Mo Ibrahim Index

Ramkalawan explained that despite it being a great source of pride, there is also room for improvement. (State House)

President Wavel Ramkalawan has expressed satisfaction that Seychelles has been ranked first in the continent on the Mo Ibrahim Index African Governance Report of 2024.

"We received good news, with Seychelles being ranked first in Africa on the Index, which is very important as it is an authority about Africa," said Ramkalwan in a press conference on Thursday.

This year's report gathers data over 10 years from 2014 to 2023. This includes the years under the leadership of three presidents, namely former President James Michel, former President Danny Faure and the incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan.

The Index was released on Wednesday and Seychelles is ranked first in the Overall Governance category with a score of 75.3 out of a possible 100 points in the category ahead of Mauritius with 72.8 out of 100.  At the other end of the ranking, in second before last and last place, are Somalia and South Sudan.

Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, also ranks among the top 10 most improved countries between 2014 and 2023, along with The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Angola, Mauritania and Djibouti.

Ramkalawan explained that despite it being a great source of pride, there is also room for improvement.

"We as an administration are telling the people that we must improve in the areas that we can do better in," he stated.

Among areas Seychelles has not scored highly are law enforcement with 36 points, sustainable use of land and forests with 54.7 points, ranking it 37^th on the continent, and health quality with 45.3.

The President noted that where law enforcement is concerned the country is ranked 26^th despite a 9.6 increase in points.

"This means all agencies concerned with law enforcement will have to work to rectify this and everyone must play their part," he added.

Ramkalawan said that the categories "we have been ranked lower than 10^th are areas that we have to work harder to improve our scores. In the case of quality of health, the minister concerned has certain questions that need to be answered."

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation said on its website that the 2024 report "shows that Africa's overall governance progress came to a halt in 2022, following four years of almost complete stagnation, as substantial advances in both human and economic development are undermined by the ongoing deterioration of the security and democratic landscape."

It added that Africa's governance landscape should not be summarised 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," said the report.

The Mo Ibrahim Index is the most comprehensive assessment of governance performance in 54 African countries, incorporating an expanded governance scope, including environment and equality; strengthened indicators, and a section fully dedicated to Africa's Citizens' Voices.

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation was established in 2006 with a focus on the critical importance of political leadership and public governance in Africa. By providing tools to support progress in leadership and governance, the foundation aims to promote meaningful change on the continent.