AFRICA must fight against a slide towards strongman authoritarianism that has resulted in a series of military coups and a clampdown on civil society in many countries, Sudanese-British billionaire Mo Ibrahim said.
Ibrahim’s foundation launched its Index of African Governance (IIAG) on Wednesday, which warned that advances in human development and economic opportunities were undermined by worsening security and widespread democratic backsliding.
The study, which measured progress over the past decade on topics ranging from health and education to security and the rule of law, found that overall governance has flatlined since 2019.
Much of Africa, it said, is less safe, secure and democratic now than in 2012.
While many of the external shocks crippling the continent economically and socially in recent years were outside of Africans’ control, in an interview ahead of the report’s release, Ibrahim lamented what he called “an own goal”.
“We did not cause climate change,
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