Mixed views on Malawi’s ‘best governed’ rating

Malawi’s rating among the 10 best governed countries in Africa on the World Economics Governance Index has drawn mixed reactions, but government has said it is high time Malawians started appreciating good things happening in the country.

The World Economics Governance Index gives insights into the performance of African countries, evaluating governance through indicators such as corruption perception, rule of law, press freedom and political rights.

With an index score of 52.9, Malawi has been ranked on position seven on a list topped by Mauritius with a score of 69.3 followed by Namibia with a score of 69.1. South Africa is third with a score of 65.5, Botswana is on position four with a score of 65.1 and Ghana is on position five with a score of 61.7.

“Although governance quality across the continent varies, some countries outperform others,” reads part of the information published by businessinsider.com on Thursday.

While critics have faulted the rating, Minister of Information and Digitisation Moses Kunkuyu, who is the official government spokesperson, said the ranking puts Malawi in an attractive spot to attract foreign direct investment and diplomatic collaborations.

In an interview, he said: “A few months ago, another renowned world body ranked Malawi as a peaceful country, but we did not value that decoration. Here we are again as the seventh best-governed country in Africa and, sadly, there will be some Malawians disputing this.”

But in an interview on Saturday, governance commentator Mabvuto Bamusi said the index does not reflect the realistic situation on the ground.

He said the index contradicted other reputable governance indexes, citing the most recent Transparency International Corruption Perception Index which revealed that corruption has worsened.

“The World Bank also revealed that poverty has worsened.  Local economic think-tanks forecast a worsening economic situation with more devaluations of the kwacha anticipated,” said Bamusi.

He said it is, therefore, unrealistic to rate Malawi as a well-governed State, taking  into consideration all the challenges being experienced in all aspects of development.

But in a separate interview, another governance expert Undule Mwakasungula said the recognition reflects well on the government’s efforts to improve transparency, accountability and respect for the rule of law though challenges remain.

He said: “However, the ranking also reminds us of areas for further improvement as governance is an ongoing process that requires constant commitment. For instance, Malawi’s score indicates there is space to improve on aspects like corruption perception.”

The index has put Senegal on position six with a score of 53.6 while Lesotho comes on position eight with a score of 52.3. Burkina Faso is on position nine with a score of 51.8 while The Gambia is on position 10 with a score of 50.6.