Rwanda registered major gains in public governance over the last ten years, according to the 2018 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), which was released Monday.
The country ranks eighth in the overall governance in Africa.
The index measures four score categories of safety and rule of law, participation and human rights, sustainable economic opportunity and human development.
Overall, the report by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation highlights that public governance progress in Africa still lags behind the needs and expectations of a growing population, which is composed mainly of young people.
Mo Ibrahim, Chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, said: "We welcome progress in overall governance, but the lost opportunity of the past decade is deeply concerning. Africa has a huge challenge ahead. Its large and youthful potential workforce could transform the continent for the better, but this opportunity is close to being squandered.”
He added; "The evidence is clear – young citizens of Africa need hope, prospects and opportunities. Its leaders need to speed up job creation to sustain progress and stave off deterioration. The time to act is now.”
The 2018 IIAG, the 12th annual edition since it was launched in 2007 is the 12th Index showing that governance on our continent, on average, is slowly improving.
The IIAG is a tool that measures and monitors governance performance in African countries and, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation defines governance as the provision of the political, social and economic public goods and services that every citizen has the right to expect from their state, and that a state has the responsibility to deliver to its citizens.
Classified as having registered progress over the last 10 years, Rwanda has a 64.3 per cent overall score and is bested by Mauritius, Seychelles, Cape Verde, Namibia, Botswana, Ghana and South Africa, respectively.