Politics
Botswana best governed in Africa – as sub-Saharan Africa more peaceful globally
Sub-Saharan Africa is more peaceful than commonly perceived, according to a new Global Peace Index (GPI) report, although levels of violence remain high in North Africa due to the continued fallout from the Arab Spring.
The latest Positive Peace Index rankings have singled out diamond-rich Botswana as the best governed country in Africa.
Botswana was placed at 41 out of 125 countries, which were measured against eight core governance categories.
The categories include:
– the free flow of information;
– low levels of corruption;
– respect for human rights;
– good governance
– and a well-functioning government and strong institutions.
Namibia, 51 in the world, were ranked second on the continent with South Africa (53) taking third place while Ghana (55) and Tunisia (58) were fourth and fifth respectively.
Botswana has also emerged among countries, which are considered the most peaceful in the world.
“The perception of Sub-Saharan Africa as a locus of economic under-performance and political instability is increasingly out-of-date, as underscored by the 2013 results of the GPI,” the report said.
“Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole this year ranks above the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and Russia and Eurasia in terms of peacefulness. In part, this reflects rising economic prosperity—Sub-Saharan economic growth has outstripped that of every other region in the world over the past two years—and, ironically, the region’s traditional marginalisation from the global economy has helped insulate it from the impact of the global financial crisis.”
Read more: defenceWeb