Ghana to host 2015 Mo Ibrahim Governance Weekend

Ghana is to host the 2015 edition of the annual Mo Ibrahim Governance Weekend, scheduled to take place in Accra from November 20 – November 22.

The annual flagship event of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation would focus on Africa and discuss issues that are likely to affect the continent’s burgeoning urban population and find solutions to them.

Speaking at the media launch of the event in Accra on Tuesday, Ms Hanna Serwaah Tetteh, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration said in Ghana, about half of the population lives in urban areas, with the numbers projected to increase in the next five years.

In light of this, she noted, there is the need for Africa to anticipate the challenges and to strategise on how best to run its cities as well as what infrastructure to put in place to contain the increase in the numbers of people living in these areas.

Ms Tetteh stated that the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) has proved to be a useful tool for measuring leadership; and provided comprehensive assessment criteria of governance on the continent since its inception in 2007.

The 2015 Index was launched in London early this month and is the basis upon which countries were assessed.

The index, she said, includes about 93 indicators under four main categories namely; Safety and Rule of Law; Participation and Human Rights; Sustainable Economic Opportunity; and Human Development, as well as 14 other sub-categories.

She noted that although Africa has shown some progress in the other sub-categories over the past years, it has deteriorated in the category of Safety and the Rule of Law due to incidents such as the outbreak of Ebola, and political instability in some countries.

“The Governance weekend is an opportunity for Ghana as well as the entire continent to reflect on this and on what to do to move the continent forward,” she said, adding "it is a self-reflection and a challenge to do better".

She said the analysis of Africa’s governance by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation is very rigorous, and used data from 33 credible sources including the World Bank, World Economic Forum and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) among others.

The Governance Weekend is hosted by an African country every year. Though Ghana is billed to host the event last year, it was postponed due to the 2014 moratorium on all non-essential meetings and conferences owing to the outbreak of the Ebola disease in some countries in West Africa.

According to the 2015 IIAG overall Governance ratings, Ghana ranked seventh out of the 54 African countries with 67.3 per cent, maintaining its position in the top 10 but with a decline of 0.4 per cent since 2011 while Mauritius topped the list with 79.9 per cent, a decline of 0.7 per cent since 2011.

As part of activities for the Weekend, there would be a ceremony to award a former African Head of State who had met the Foundation’s criteria.

There are five Mo Ibrahim Laureates so far including late South African President, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, who was given an honorary award in 2007.

An Africa debate would be held at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra followed by a Concert and a football match between the Ghana All Stars and TP Mazembe of DR Congo.

She urged Ghanaians especially the media, civil society and other stakeholders to participate fully in the event.