Pretoria, South Africa, 5 November 2018 –The Mo Ibrahim Foundation (MIF) and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), hosted a high-level discussion on the results of the 2018 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) in Pretoria. Following the IIAG’s global online launch on 29 October, representatives from government, private sector, diplomats and civil society gathered on Friday, 2 November to discuss the findings and trends of the 2018 IIAG, and what they mean for Africa.

The event opened with welcoming remarks by Mr Abdoulie Janneh, MIF Executive Director and Prof Eddy Maloka, APRM Chief Executive Officer. Their contributions outlined the complementing role that both organisations seek to play in improving good governance across the continent by assessing progress in areas such as transparency, openness, accountability, and inclusiveness.

The keynote address was delivered by Minister Zweli Mkhize, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) in South Africa. Minister Mkhize encouraged public service institutions to provide leadership based on integrity, selflessness and loyalty in order to improve public governance.

Minister Mkhize commented: “In this era of seeking to control our public service and its vast resources, we must have a public service cadre that is impenetrable. We appeal to our public servants to focus on their work and not be distracted by business interest and greed which threatens the public service and enables corruption to creep in.”

Panellists responding to the Minister Mkhize’s address were senior diplomats, officials and academics, including; H.E. Kintu Nyago, Ambassador of Uganda to South Africa; Prof Thuli Madonsela, Social Justice Chair, University of Stellenbosch and former Public Protector; Dr Abdalla Hamdok, Deputy Executive Secretary at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and Chair of the IIAG Advisory Council; Ms Malango Mughogho, Managing Director, ZeniZeni Sustainable Finance and former Ibrahim Leadership Fellow; Mr Kimi Makwetu, Auditor General of South Africa; Mr Jay Naidoo, MIF Board member; Prof Somadoda Fikeni, University of South Africa and Ms Mandipa Ndlovu, Research Analyst, University of Cape Town and former Ibrahim Scholar.

The launch event also hosted presentations on the IIAG findings by Mme Nathalie Delapalme, MIF Executive Director, as well as an analysis of South Africa’s governance performance by Mr Yannick Vuylsteke, Head of the IIAG, MIF and Mr Jean-Yves Adou, Head of Division on Knowledge Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, APRM.

Mme Nathalie Delapalme commented: “In the last ten years, Africa’s total GDP has grown by 39.7%, whilst the average Sustainable Economic Opportunity score has improved by only 0.2%. The data shows that not enough has been done to meet the needs and expectations of Africa’s growing youth population. This is an area of significant concern when analysing Africa’s governance performance. Continuing conversation on how to increase the performance for Sustainable Economic Opportunity is key and must now urgently lead to implementation.”

Prof Eddy Maloka commented: “Beyond today we have to maintain this conversation on the state of governance in Africa. There is complementarity in what is coming out of the IIAG in terms of the continent’s and South Africa’s governance performance with what other indexes are saying; key drivers of concern in South Africa are accountability, public safety and economic opportunity.”

Mr Jay Naidoo commented: “The Index is confirming that in the last decade we’ve lost ground. We need to now focus on improving governance from the top-down, improving governance within all aspects of the state, and in particular building the type of smart partnerships between government, the private sector, and civil society.”
It was concluded by participants at the event, that in order to move forward and improve Africa’s governance landscape, it is important to place youth in leadership positions by equipping them with rights, knowledge, tools and values.
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Notes to Editors:

About the Mo Ibrahim Foundation
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation was established in 2006 with a focus on the critical importance of leadership and governance in Africa. By providing tools to support progress in leadership and governance, the Foundation aims to promote meaningful change on the continent. The Foundation, which is a non-grant making organisation, focuses on defining, assessing and enhancing governance and leadership in Africa through four main initiatives:
• Ibrahim Index of African Governance
• Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership
• Ibrahim Forum
• Ibrahim Fellowships and Scholarships

For more information please contact:

Zainab Umar, [email protected], +44 207 535 5068

About the African Peer Review Mechanism
The APRM is an Africa-owned, Africa-led self-assessment initiative that promotes good governance and socio-economic development through the adoption of policies, standards and good practices that lead to political stability, economic growth and sustainable development. Launched in 2003 as a voluntary instrument, APRM uses a holistic review process that distinguishes the Mechanism from other institutions through inclusive dialogue, independent and objective reviews, peer learning and compliance monitoring.

For more information please contact:
Liziwe Masilela, [email protected], +27 112563401