Report indicates economic gains but decline in rule of law in Africa

The Ibrahim Index of African Governance has just been released a report on the discrepancies among African nations in the area of governance and economic development. In addition, the report shows that while African countries have made significant strides in economic and human development they have fallen behind in human rights and rule of law. Some of the main findings include:
•The Index shows big differences in governance among Africa’s 53 countries. The best countries (the five countries with scores over 70) are on a different plane from the worst (the 11 countries under 40). The highest scoring country, Mauritius, had a score of 82 with Somalia at the bottom with a score of 8.
•While, over 40 countries have seen some form of improvement in both Sustainable Economic Opportunity and Human Development, 35 African states have declined in the Safety and Rule of Law category and 30 have experienced a downturn in the Participation and Human Rights area.