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Insight: Data gaps and the IIAG
The 2022 Ibrahim Index of Governance (IIAG) has good and bad news on data. There’s reason for optimism – steps forwards on digital infrastructure, which is a key part of modernising data systems, and in many countries, progress on statistical capacity and civil registration. National statistics offices across the continent are leading processes of… Read more
Data gaps in key governance dimensions hinder assessment and policy progress
With 2023 being the halfway point to meeting the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the first 10-year milestone of the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063, there is more data missing to assess progress in Africa than in any other world region. Civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) are the building blocks that… Read more, Rural Economy: a concerning lack of data sources Despite its vital importance for agriculture, food security and climate change adaptation, there is currently poor data availability on rural sector in Africa. One dataset, the Rural Sector Performance Assessment (RSPA), produced by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD),… Read more, The investment case for data Data is missing at a moment in which the demand for data is highest – due to the need to track progress in the UN’s SDGs and the AU’s Agenda 2063. However, statistics are perennially underfunded, currently attracting a mere 0.34% of total Official Development Assistance (ODA). As a result, the funding gap for… Read more, 2023 IIAG interim report 2023 is a crucial year to unleash the data dividend to meet the development and climate goals, both for Africa and the rest of the world. Without concerted efforts to accelerate data investments, the comprehensive review of the state of the SDGs at the 2023 SDG Summit (18-19 September 2023, New York), and the first… Read more, Useful links
2023 Ibrahim Governance Weekend - recap
The Foundation was thrilled to be back on the continent again for the 2023 Ibrahim governance Weekend (IGW) in Nairobi, Kenya, from 28-30 April. We hosted an incredible series of events that brought together global representation from political leadership, civil society and the private sector for open and thought-provoking debate and discussion. , Watch the 2023 IGW highlights , African Leadership Ceremony The 2023 IGW opened with a leadership ceremony, awarding in-person to former president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, his 2020 Ibrahim Prize medal. This offered the opportunity to hear from some of the most prominent voices in global leadership and governance on the challenges and prospects facing African leadership… Read more, Ibrahim Forum Held over the whole Saturday, the 2023 Ibrahim Forum focussed on Global Africa. The first session – Africa in the World: multiple assets – examined Africa’s place in the world, highlighting the continent’s assets and potential, without downsizing the current barriers to achieving this potential. The second and third sessions –… Read more, Forum Session 1 , Forum Session 2 , Forum Session 3 , Forum Session 4 , Mo In conversation with... In a public one-to-one conversation, Abdalla Hamdok and Mo Ibrahim discussed Sudan’s historic roots of instability, and the conditions and prospects of solving the current crisis. Mo held another one-to one conversation with H.E. William Ruto, President of Kenya, around the ongoing climate change debate – including… Read more, Watch Mo in conversation with... Abdalla Hamdok , Watch Mo in conversation with... William Ruto , Concert The Forum was followed by a public concert on Saturday evening featuring some of the biggest names in African music, including Nyashinski, Femi One, Otile Brown and Youssou N’dour. , Parallel events Throughout the course of the three days, there were also a series of parallel events discussing key African challenges. Ahead of the Africa Climate Summit, to be hosted by Kenya between 4-6 September 2023, a specific focus was given to the climate topic, with a meeting of the Climate Overshoot Commission, and the launch of the… Read more
Webinar Recap: harnessing the power of data
In a world increasingly driven by data, the importance of harnessing its power for development cannot be overstated. On Friday, 12 May, Diego Fernandez, a senior analyst from MIF, and Karen Bett, Senior Policy Manager, Data Equity and Inclusion at the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, shared their insights during the webinar… Read more, Successful outcomes When asked about successful outcomes, Karen mentioned the case of Malawi, where data was used to determine strategic locations for health facilities. By combining call detail records, census data, and earth observation data, the Ministry of Health was able to identify where best to establish health facilities. Following this… Read more, In conclusion, the webinar shed light on the pressing data gaps that hinder Africa's progress and called for transformative action. As Africa stands at a crucial juncture with major global summits on the horizon, filling these data gaps becomes imperative for achieving the SDGs, Agenda 2063, and climate targets. Investing in data systems,… Read more
Key democratic freedoms decline during election periods
In several African countries who have held elections between 2012-2021, the period in which the 2022 IIAG covers, there has been a concerning decline in key indicators of the IIAG sub-categories Participation and Rights in the year building up to the vote. During periods when the electorate need their democratic rights and freedoms the most to… Read more, Selected African countries: Democratic Elections indicator scores (2012-2021) , Uganda: election year saw lowest score for Democratic Elections in a decade The last presidential election in Uganda took place in 2021. The elections saw a concerning decline in democratic freedoms from an already low base. Freedom of Association & Assembly (-12.5) was Uganda’s most deteriorated indicator between 2020-2021. Unsurprisingly… Read more
Insight: Participation, Rights & Inclusion in Africa and the IIAG results
Inclusivity, representation and the protection of political rights are at the heart of democracy – when absent, governments cannot take informed decisions nor be held accountable for delivering on the aspirations and expectations of their citizens. The notion of participatory democracy is enshrined in the Universal Charter of Human Rights, which… Read more
MIF Board member Jay Naidoo awarded Doctor Honoris Causa in Canada
The Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), in Canada, is awarding an honorary doctorate (doctor honoris causa) to Foundation Board member Jay Naidoo. The ceremony will be held on 9 June at UQAM's Centre Pierre-Péladeau. According to the university, the award symbolises the "recognition of Jay Naidoo's exemplary commitment to the defence of… Read more
An African Union seat at the G20 would be in Europe’s interests too
Mo Ibrahim co-signed an article with Open Society Foundations President Mark Malloch-Brown making a case for a permanent seat to the African Union at the G20, the international forum of the 20 biggest global economies. Mo and Malloch-Brown state that it's time to finally implement the idea presented last year by Senegal, considering that since… Read more, Ours is a world of multiple inter-locking crises; of escalating economic, geopolitical, climate, and humanitarian emergencies reinforcing each other. Tensions between the US and China threaten at best a merely more fragmented global order, and at worst catastrophic conflict. Multilateralism is on the back foot and the Bretton Woods… Read more
Reflecting on the Ibrahim Governance Weekend on Global Africa
As the Chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation said in his opening remark at the Ibrahim Governance Weekend (IGW) on Global Africa, "these are not normal times". Africa faces many imminent and systemic challenges. The eruption of conflict between military factions in Sudan is just one of them. Moreover, while the conflict received prominent… Read more
Webinar Recap - Participation, Rights & Inclusion
On Friday, 2 June 2023, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation (MIF) held a webinar on the current state of Participation, Rights & Inclusion (PRI) in Africa based on the Ibrahim index of African Governance (IIAG)'s latest findings. MIF Researcher Hoodo Richter was joined by Manji Wilson, a Now Generation Network (NGN) member and an expert in elections… Read more, Rights and Media Freedoms continue to be a concern Rights is the third most declined sub-category since 2012. This decline is largely due to increasing media censorship, limitations on media freedom, and restriction of digital rights. Media Freedom is the most declined indicator within the Rights sub-category, highlighting the challenges faced… Read more, Manji emphasised there is no going back on how the internet has influenced every aspect of our lives as we are now in the digital age. He added social media is one of the most essential tools for democracy at the moment as it provides a safe space for citizens to express themselves. However, there have been increased new social media bills to try… Read more, Inclusion & Equality, a struggle for political representation Equal Political Representation is worsening across the continent, making it the indicator that has deteriorated the most since 2012 in the Inclusion & Equality sub-category. Declining equality in political rights and opportunities has driven this negative trend. However,… Read more, Women's Equality, a mixed bag On a positive note, Women's Equality has witnessed significant improvement since 2012, becoming the second most improved sub-category out of 16. All five underlying indicators have shown progress, with Laws on Violence Against Women being a standout performer. However, challenges persist, especially in… Read more, Viewer Q&A Impact of COVID-19 , The impact of COVID-19 on PRI: Since 2019, the average annual rate of decline since 2019 has increased almost six-fold. Three out of four Participation, Rights & Inclusion sub-categories (Participation, Inclusion & Equality and Women’s Equality) have a worse annual average trend since 2019. Impact of COVID-19 on elections: Over 70… Read more, As revealed by Afrobarometer, a resounding 69% of Africans prefer democracy over other forms of government. The majority are against military and one-party rule government. However, it's important to note that 53% of youth believe that Western democracy may not be ideally suited for Africa, indicating the need for African countries to find their… Read more, Cause for optimism Lastly, Hoodo shared some positive news. Gambia stands out as an exceptional case within the continent, with a remarkable improvement of nearly 20 points in Participation, Rights & Inclusion over the past ten years. Gambia: Participation, Rights & Inclusion Scores (2012-2021) , Additionally, various countries have shown improvement in different sub-categories, demonstrating that progress is possible. Participation: 15 countries have shown improvement, while 39 have deteriorated. Rights: 18 countries have shown improvement, while 35 have deteriorated. Inclusion: 25 countries have shown improvement while 28 have… Read more
