Zimbabwe and Nigeria ranked second and third worst in global good governance index

Zimbabwe and Nigeria have both recorded the second and third-worst score respectively in the inaugural Chandler Good Government (CGGI) Index launched on Monday in Singapore.

The countries scored 0.283 and 0.319 points respectively to sit at number 103 and 102 respectively out of 104 countries on the league table which measures 104 governments’ effectiveness and capabilities in almost 90 per cent of the world’s population.

The data, published on https://chandlergovernmentindex.com/country-rankings/, is aggregated to produce a score on a scale of 0 (lowest) to 1 (highest).

The index uses 34 indicators, which are organised into seven pillars: leadership and foresight; robust laws and policies; strong institutions; financial stewardship; attractive marketplace; global influence and reputation; and helping people rise.

It taps over 50 publicly available global data sources such as the World Trade Organisation, United Nations and World Bank.

Finland came tops with 0.848 points ahead of Switzerland and Singapore, while Zimbabwe was Nigeria’s runner up followed by Venezuela at the bottom of the log.

The US is 18 with 0.732, UK at 12 with 0.756, Turkey is 63 with 0.585 while Cyprus was not included in the ranking. 

Mauritius, with an Index score of 0.5670 and at number 38 on the log, was Africa’s best performer.

The report noted that countries that have done well under this pillar are all market economies with sound property rights and stable business regulations.

It added that the ability to effectively tackle corruption is the indicator with the strongest correlation with overall good government rankings.

The CGGI said the ranking comes amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which has revealed strengths and weaknesses in institutions, laws, and leadership, adding that governance is the deciding factor in whether countries succeed.