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Good governance is in the eye of the beholder. For all its importance, the concept is slippery – and not least in Africa. Is it the rule of law? The sovereignty of institutions? The head count of technocrats in the finance ministry? A test of democracy? Or property rights? Governance has come to mean all things to all men. For diplomats and donors, defining governance is crucial to the allocation of development aid. Development theorists point to a causal link between standards of governance and a wide range of socio-economic outcomes. Professor Robert Rotberg at Harvard’s Kennedy School has marshalled substantial data to demonstrate that when governance improves, every other development indicator improves too – from child mortality to adult literacy to industrial competitiveness. The Sudanese telecoms mogul Mo Ibrahim has prompted some awkward questions about the meaning of governance by giving an annual prize to the best retiring African president. And, in London this week, by not giving one. An eminent panel including former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and former Irish president Mary Robinson chose not to nominate any recent outgoing head of state for this year’s US$5 million pension pot. Ibrahim maintains that nothing is more important than governance, although his annual jackpot is billed as a prize for excellence in leadership – which is not quite the same. Last year’s prize went to Botswana’s Festus Mogae, and the inaugural award to Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique. This year’s decision not to honour former South African president Thabo Mbeki, nor Ghana’s John Kufuor, nor Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo begs a comparison with previous winners. The larger lesson is that governance is not a zero-sum game. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, more good things and more bad things are happening at the same time in Africa. In many liberalising economies, the prevailing policy agenda has brought better governance cheek-by-jowl with rising inequality and deepening social exclusion. As technocrats gain ground, old loyalties fray and politics becomes more volatile. Even the best presidents know that the future looks rough. – Mark Ashurst, Director, Africa Research Institute
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• This edition of StoryLines, compiled from our digest of African newspapers, draws attention to the myriad components of 'good governance'. ARI’s latest briefing note compares the politics of institutional reform in Tanzania and Senegal, ranked 12 and 17 respectively of 53 African countries in the Ibrahim Index 2009. In Tanzania, reform has been driven by MPs from the governing party, in power since 1964. Their achievements have threatened party stalwarts, deepening divides within Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).
Elections in Senegal in 2000 and 2001, which led to the peaceful transfer of power to an opposition party, won plaudits. But national institutions charged with providing checks and balances have been Hard copies of Tanzania and Senegal: Inside the Machine are available on request. To download a copy from our website, please click here.
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Governance concerns as US$5 million prize goes begging The Mo Ibrahim Foundation announced its decision not to award the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership to any of the shortlisted candidates. The prize – open to retired African leaders who were elected democratically and served their term in accordance with their country’s constitution – is an initial US$5 million over 10 years, and thereafter an additional US$200,000 each year for life. A further US$200,000 a year, for ten years, is available for winners to donate to charitable causes of their choice. Telecoms magnate Mo Ibrahim said: “It is the Prize Committee’s decision not to award the prize this year and we entirely respect it. We made clear at the launch of the foundation that there may be years where there is no winner”. The seven member prize committee, comprising eminent political figures, gave no reason for their decision not to select a winner. Candidates are judged on a number of criteria, including sustainable economic development, progress in education and health, human rights and political stability. The frontrunners were John Kufuor of Ghana and Thabo Mbeki of South Africa – former presidents with comparable records to previous winners. Ibrahim said: “Although there is much focus on the prize, the Foundation is engaged in many other activities to help improve governance. Central to these is the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, which the Foundation published earlier this month, which gives powerful information to all citizens about the performance of their countries". Source: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam) |
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Auditor general’s department has backlog of 27 reports for parliament Friday, 18th September 2009 John Atta-Senya, deputy auditor general at the Ghana Audit Service, announced a delay in the preparation of 27 reports due to be presented to parliament by the end of 2009. more |
Bid to gag MPs will backfire, CCM told MPs from Tanzania’s governing party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), reacted angrily to moves by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to impose stricter discipline. more |
Obama: Africa aid must be matched by good governance Saturday, July 11th 2009 US President Barack Obama said that western aid commitments to Africa must be matched by good governance and efforts to end corruption on the continent. more |
Mbeki resigns before the nation Monday, 22nd September 2008 South African President Thabo Mbeki resigned, citing loyalty to the African National Congress (ANC) as his reason for stepping down. more
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Sierra Leone’s president declares his assets Monday, 1st September 2008 Sierra Leone’s president, Ernest Bai Koroma, signed a new anti-corruption law aimed at stepping up scrutiny on public servants. more |
Malawi leader suspends parliament over budget row President Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi suspended parliament over its failure to pass the government’s annual budget.. more |
| Africa Research Institute is a non-partisan think tank based in London and founded in February 2007. Our mission is to draw attention to ideas which have worked in Africa, and to identify areas where new ideas are needed. For more information please visit our website www.africaresearchinstitute.org | ||
From our Archive: |
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Auditor general’s department has backlog of 27 reports for parliament Friday, 18th September 2009 John Atta-Senya, deputy auditor general at the Ghana Audit Service, announced a delay in the preparation of 27 reports due to be presented to parliament by the end of 2009. At a stakeholder awareness forum organised by the service, Atta-Senya said the department’s audit report on tertiary education institutions was already eight years late. Reports on foreign exchange receipts, payments made by the Bank of Ghana, and district assemblies are four years behind schedule. He cited financial constraints, inadequate staff training, and outdated financial management systems as the main reasons for the backlog. Kurt Cornelis, acting head of the European Commission delegation in Ghana, said the recent discovery of oil and an increase in the government’s 2009 budget reinforced the need for a strong national audit institution. “The objective of EU assistance to the department is to achieve enhanced efficiency, accountability and transparency in the public financial management of Ghana”. Vice-president John Dramani Mahama acknowledged the financial constraints of the Ghana Audit Service and promised to ask the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to consider the department’s plight in the 2010 budget. Bid to gag MPs will backfire, CCM told Friday, 21st August 2009 MPs from Tanzania’s governing party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), reacted angrily to moves by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to impose stricter discipline. At a meeting in August 2009, it discussed expelling parliamentary Speaker Samuel Sitta, whose anti-corruption drive has threatened party figures. The committee has appointed a team to monitor the conduct of CCM MPs and stamp out disloyalty. In 2007, Sitta was instrumental in appointing Tanzania’s first select committee investigation into a corruption scandal – the Richmond electricity supply contract – which led to the resignation of Prime Minister Edward Lowassa. Defenders of the NEC argue that accusations of corruption in parliament could weaken the party ahead of the elections in 2010. Such matters, they argue, should be confined to party fora. The Legal and Human Rights Centre in Tanzania expressed concern at attempts to censure Sitta: “We are very disappointed by the move to punish Mr Sitta, as we believe one of the reasons is about his ability to conduct a healthy and vibrant debate in parliament, which stands for the public interest”. Aloyce Kimaro, MP for Vunjo constituency, said “Nobody will be silenced ... Life stands still where those who know about the truth stop talking in public”. Obama: Africa aid must be matched by good governance Saturday July 11th 2009 US President Barack Obama said that western aid commitments to Africa must be matched by good governance and efforts to end corruption on the continent. Speaking in Ghana on his first official visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office in January 2009, Obama stressed the need for African countries to take a lead role in addressing their own governance problems. “Development depends on good governance. That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That is the change that can unlock Africa’s potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans”. He went on to say that Ghana’s democratic progress can serve as a model for the rest of the continent. The country has held national elections every four years since 1992, twice voting in an opposition party. “We like the positive signals that this visit is sending and will continue to send”, said Ghanaian President John Atta Mills. “This encourages us also to sustain the gains that we have made in our democratic process”. Mbeki resigns before the nation Monday, 22nd September 2008 South African President Thabo Mbeki resigned, citing loyalty to the African National Congress (ANC) as his reason for stepping down. In a live television broadcast Mbeki said, "I have been a loyal member of the ANC for 52 years. I remain a member of the ANC and therefore respect its decisions. It is for this reason that I've taken the decision to resign as president of the republic." Mbeki’s resignation comes days after a court found that corruption charges against ANC President Jacob Zuma could not proceed. In his ruling, Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Chris Nicholson suggested that there had been political interference in the case. The National Executive Committee of the ANC moved against Mbeki, accusing him of meddling in the judicial process. Mbeki was quick to deny the accusations: “I would like to restate the position of cabinet on the inferences made by the Honourable Judge Chris Nicholson that the president and the cabinet have interfered in the work of the National Prosecuting Authority ... We have never done this ... This applies equally to the painful matter relating to the court proceeding against the president of the ANC, comrade Jacob Zuma”. Parliament will elect an interim president to complete Mbeki’s term before the general election in 2009. Sierra Leone’s president declares his assets Monday, 1st September 2008 Sierra Leone’s president, Ernest Bai Koroma, signed a new anti-corruption law aimed at stepping up scrutiny of public servants. Under the terms of the law, the president and all public officials are required to declare their assets to the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission on entering and leaving public office. It is hoped that this will act as a warning to officials and make it easier for the Commission to detect foul play. In accordance with the new law, Koroma became Sierra Leone’s first leader to declare his personal wealth to the anti-graft body. The Anti-Corruption Act also grants the commission further powers to investigate and punish corruption, including the use of extradition of those suspected of committing corruption offences in Sierra Leone or abroad. The act brings the country's law into line with UN conventions on transparency in public office. Malawi leader suspends parliament over budget row Friday, June 20th 2008 President Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi suspended parliament over its failure to pass the government’s annual budget. The budget discussions reached a stalemate when the government refused to discuss accusations that its MPs had ‘crossed the floor’. Mutharika, who won the presidency in April 2004 as a candidate for the incumbent United Democratic Front, abandoned UDF to create his own party in 2005. About 70 MPs left their parties to join him. UDF and other opposition parties accuse the defectors of a constitutional breach. Section 65 of the constitution, they argue, requires the government to organise by-elections in constituencies where MPs have changed parties. “It has become obvious that the opposition does not want to pass the budget ... The opposition wants to use section 65 to bring down this government as a tool for revenge and retribution”, said Mutharika. He added that section 65 conflicts with the right of MPs to “exercise their freedom and choice of association”, also guaranteed in the constitution of Malawi. Remove me from this list |
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