| | Note from the Chairman  | | | | Welcome to the fifth edition of the MIF Newsletter. It has been nine months since the World Health Organization reported the first case of Ebola.Yet, the battle against the deadly epidemic, which is crippling Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, is far from won. The world’s response has been slow and inadequate in meeting the needs of the affected region. The Ebola crisis presents a challenge to the “Africa Rising” narrative. Just as the media portrayal of Africa was shifting finally from one of poverty, disease and corruption to dynamism and opportunity, the epidemic began to dominate the news headlines. It is clear that the Mano River region faces an unprecedented public health crisis. The political will and resources to meet this threat are gradually being mobilised. We have seen, if somewhat belatedly, a commitment of resources from the international community and across the continent. These come from multilateral organisations such as the African Union and the African Development Bank, governments, business, civil society organisations, celebrities and media, but more needs to be done. We must understand why Ebola is taking such a toll and to put it into a broader context. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are all post-conflict or post-crisis countries, and they confront Ebola with fragile governance structures. Their presidents have shown strong leadership in tackling the virus but lack the capacities to respond. Mortality rates among the infected are high, not only because of the nature of the virus, but because of the state of the healthcare systems. This is in contrast to Senegal and Nigeria’s success in containing the disease. Both of these countries benefit from more robust healthcare infrastructures. We must do everything we can to help the affected countries with this health issue. But we should also be very careful not to make matters worse by taking measures that hurt their economies. The World Bank projects a total fiscal loss of well over half a billion dollars in 2014 alone. The closing of borders and cessation of flights is already having a hugely damaging effect. Projected food shortages are creating the possibility of a humanitarian crisis. In a sub-region emerging from conflict, the danger of reverting to social unrest and even violence is ever-present. While observing the WHO -mandated protocols for containment of this outbreak, we must attempt as far as possible to normalise trade and travel to these countries. We must target the disease, not the citizens of Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone. Africa remains open for business. The fight against Ebola cannot undermine the fight against poverty. There are 48 African countries that have had no incidence of Ebola. Africa should not face isolation or stigmatisation based on ignorance and unrepresentative imagery. The understandable fear that this disease generates must be confronted by logic and humanity. When we view the continent through the prism of good governance, rather than fear and crude stereotypes, we can reconcile these seemingly conflicting views of Africa – on the one hand full of potential, on the other facing serious problems. As Africa rises, our ability to face our greatest challenges will be determined by how strong, inclusive and equitable our institutions are. The lesson to take from the Ebola crisis is that good governance underlies our successes and bad governance explains our problems. Therefore it is the governance agenda that should bring us all into alignment – citizens, civil society, government and business, both local and international – to ensure that Africa continues to rise and takes us all along with it. | | | |  | | | | |  | | Mo Ibrahim was appointed to serve as Chairperson of the Third United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights which was held from 1–3 December in Geneva, Switzerland. The theme for the 2014 Forum was “Advancing business and human rights globally: alignment, adherence and accountability.” | | | |  | | Mo Ibrahim and Nathalie Delapalme participated in the Policy Dialogue organised by Club de Madrid and R.F. Kennedy Centre which took place from 23-25 November in Florence on "Democracy and Human Rights in Decline?" | | | |  | | Graca Machel and Aïcha Bah Diallo participated
in the sixth annual WISE Summit which took
place in Doha, Qatar, from 4–6 November under the theme Imagine - Create - Learn: Creativity at the Heart of Education. | | |  | | Abdoulie Janneh, presented the 2014 IIAG to the Pan African Parliament plenary sitting held in Midrand, South Africa, on 22 October. | | | | | | | | |  | | Established in 2007, the IIAG is the most comprehensive collection of quantitative data on governance in Africa. Compiled in partnership with experts from a number of the continent's institutions, it provides an annual assessment of governance in every African country. The IIAG provides a framework for citizens, governments, institutions and business to assess the delivery of public goods and services, and policy outcomes across Africa. | | | Ebola and the 2014 IIAG: what does the Index tell us? The Health sub-category is one of the 14 sub-categories in the 2014 IIAG and comprises one of the three sub-categories within the Human Development category. Perhaps surprisingly, given this year’s Ebola outbreak, the largest continental sub-category improvement in the 2014 IIAG over the past five years is seen in the Health sub-category, in which all underlying indicators have seen an improvement in score. We discuss the need for more relevant data on the strength of healthcare systems, investigate the results of the Health sub-category and provide a spotlight on the results of those countries most affected by the recent Ebola crisis in West Africa1. “The 2014 IIAG underscores the need to focus on building equitable and efficient institutions, such as health systems, accountability mechanisms and statistical offices. Without these, we will not be able to meet the challenges we face – from strengthening the rule of law to managing shocks such as the Ebola virus.” Hadeel Ibrahim, Founding Executive Director of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation (MIF) 1 The most recent data used in the 2014 IIAG is from the year 2013. Given that the most recent Ebola outbreak has taken place in 2014, the impact of the disease is likely to be more visible in the 2015 IIAG. | | Strengthening data on health governance Data paucity on health-related issues in Africa remains a core concern for MIF and the Foundation continues to work with the support of the IIAG Advisory Council on strengthening the Health sub-category. The Ebola crisis reiterates the need for more relevant data on health governance and healthcare systems, not just the collection of data on mortality rates from Africa’s more widespread diseases. To this end, MIF is funding the Africa Integrity Indicators project, a broader initiative that assesses key social, economic, political and anti-corruption mechanisms, managed by Global Integrity. This includes indicators that will provide greater insight into the ability of healthcare systems to manage shocks such as Ebola. The 2015 IIAG is expected to include the following indicators: - The provision of health campaigns to educate citizens on common illnesses and preventions, and alerting them of public health hazards such as epidemics.
- Access to health information on budgets and expenditure.
- Access to hospital and clinic services and location.
| | |  | | | 2014 IIAG Health sub-category and its results - The Health sub-category currently includes seven indicators: Maternal Mortality, Child Mortality, Immunisation (Measles, DPT and Hepatitis B), Antiretroviral Treatment Provision, Disease (Malaria & TB), Undernourishment and Access to Sanitation.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank (WB) are the main providers of data for the 2014 IIAG Health sub-category.
- None of these indicators are directly related to a major health crisis or shock, such as Ebola. Access to Sanitation (WHO), a clustered indicator, may have some relevance as it measures the population served with an improved sanitation facility, essential to help stem the spread of disease by human contact.
- Both the Human Development category and the Health sub-category have maintained consistent progress in the past ten years with the African average showing improvement in score between 2005 and 2009, and 2009 and 2013.
- Over the past five years, 47 (out of 52) countries have shown improvement in score in the Health sub-category. This is the largest number of countries showing improvement over the past five years of any sub-category in the 2014 IIAG. Twenty-three of these countries have shown an improvement of +5.0 score points or more.
- Only four countries have shown deterioration of -1.0 score points or more in the Health sub-category in the last five years: Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Tunisia and Nigeria. This is a reversal in trend from the previous five-year period for all these countries except Tunisia.
| | |  | | | Spotlight: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone The positive trend at the continental level in the Health sub-category is also seen in the countries most affected by the recent Ebola crisis – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – and the West African region. However, all three countries still rank 35th or below and all score below the continental average in the Health sub-category (72.7). Moreover, the Ebola crisis shows that there is much room for improvement, with regards to health governance, in these countries. All three of these countries have emerged from crisis or civil war and are still not equipped to manage health shocks, particularly in rural areas. - Guinea achieves its second highest sub-category score in the 2014 IIAG in Health (65.3) in 2013. It has shown improvement in score in this sub-category (+3.8) and in all seven underlying indicators over the past five years.
- Liberia also achieves its second highest sub-category score in Health (65.6) in 2013. It has shown the eighth largest improvement in this sub-category on the continent (+8.4), and improvement in all underlying indicators over the past five years.
- Sierra Leone is the fifth most improved country within the Health sub-category (+8.9) on the continent over the past five years, although it achieves its lowest rank (50th out of 52) in the 2014 IIAG in this sub-category. Sierra Leone has shown improvement in score in four out of the seven underlying indicators over the past five years.
- Guinea (36th), Liberia (35th) and Sierra Leone (50th) all feature in the bottom half of the continental rankings for the Health sub-category in 2013. All three countries also score below the continental (72.7) and West African regional average (70.0) for Health in 2013.
- West Africa is the second most improved region (+5.1) in the Health sub-category although it scores lower than the African average (72.7), over the past five years. The region ranks 4th out of five regions in this sub-category in 2013.
You can explore the Health sub-category results and indicator metadata in detail using the 2014 IIAG Data Portal.
You can also explore results using the new 2014 IIAG App, available for download here. | | | |  | | Established in 2007, the Ibrahim Prize celebrates excellence in African leadership. It is awarded to a former Executive Head of State or Government by an independent Prize Committee composed of eminent figures, including two Nobel Laureates. | | | The leadership of Nelson Mandela. Sello Hatang, Chief Executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation | | | | | |  | | | | Much has been said about Nelson Mandela as a leader. His approach to leadership can be examined from a number of different perspectives. Here it is not my intention to offer a comprehensive analysis. Instead I want to reflect on those attributes which have loomed large in my own experience of the man and of his personal archive – attributes which I believe are needed urgently amongst leaders in my country and in my continent in this twenty-first century. The first quality is a seemingly innocuous one: consistency. For Mandela this was a fundamental attribute of leadership – as he wrote in an undated notebook entry: “Leadership falls into two categories. Those who are inconsistent, whose actions cannot be predicted, who agree today on a major [issue] and repudiate it the following day. Those who are consistent, who have a sense of honour, a vision.” The need today for leaders guided by principle rather than expedience is urgent. The second quality describes an absence – the absence of what I would call an over-eagerness to be the leader. Too often we see ambition spurring one to reach for power, to rush to the top. Nelson Mandela represented a very different approach. After his release from prison he was pressed into service as a leader. He had to be persuaded to accept a collective decision for him to become the first post-apartheid President: “I advised against the decision on the grounds that I would turn seventy-six that year, that it would be wise to get a far younger person, male or female, who had been out of prison, met heads of state and government, attended meetings of world and regional organisations, who had kept abreast of national and international developments …” The third, and closely related quality, is the determination not to outstay one’s welcome. Mo Ibrahim, in his lecture at the 11th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in 2013, argued that Africa is plagued by leaders who do not know when to step away. He pointed out the absurdity of a leader in his nineties seeking a new term of office. What a stark contrast is provided by Nelson Mandela. Having been persuaded to accept the presidency he immediately announced publicly that he would step down after one term. And, unlike others who made such announcements, he did what he said he would do. The last quality is accountability. A good leader gives account to those who have put him or her into a leadership position. A good leader holds all levels of leadership accountable. As Mandela said in 1990: “Accountability of leaders to the rank and file and the accountability of members to the structures to which they are affiliated is the flip side of the coin of democracy.” While constrained by the energies of collective leadership, and by his own loyalty to those who had served well in the past, Mandela insisted on those around him embracing accountability. Those who were dismissed from his cabinet, or threatened with dismissal, will attest to this. Former Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, for instance, has spoken about how Mandela disciplined him the first time he broke cabinet ranks publicly. Mandela set a very high bar for good leadership. But the qualities which made him a good leader are available to and attainable by anyone exercising leadership, whether they be heads of state or school principals, captains of industry or city councillors. Today in South Africa, and this holds true for Africa as a whole, good leadership is at a premium. Our continent is crying out for leaders who lead. It is crying out for leaders who believe that with power, as with freedom, comes responsibility. It is crying out for leaders who like Madiba can transform contestants into stakeholders. Always striving to find the “we” rather than the “us” and the “them”. It is crying out for leaders who are out front in walking that long, never-ending walk to freedom. Who if they rest for a moment do so only to catch breath, not to feed at the trough of self-enrichment. When delivering the 12th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, HE Michele Bachelet noted that leadership is not only found at the summits of society. This is also fundamental to the legacy of Mandela. He taught us to take responsibility for our own liberation, and he taught us that with freedom comes responsibility for the underprivileged; the weak and the wretched. He once said “The foundation has been laid – the building is in progress. With a new generation of leaders and a people that rolls up its sleeves in partnerships for change, we can and shall build the country of our dreams!” He further noted that “the quality of change in our society will greatly depend upon the quality of leadership that is exercised in the various sectors and activities of our communities, organisations and public life.” May we continue to roll up our sleeves and serve every day. May we strive to be the change that’s needed in our continent. May we continue to dream and help realise the dreams of our ancestors. Nelson Mandela is gone, but his voice is alive. Listen to him one last time: “When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity.” Mandela is sleeping now. Are we up for making ‘that effort’? Do we hear the call of duty? Can we exercise leadership in a way that honours his legacy? Will we groom a generation of leaders that would make Mandela proud? We need not be reminded of our responsibility as global citizens to carry his legacy forward. | | | |  | | Projections estimate that Africa will enter its “urban age” by 2035 when 50% of its population will live in urban areas. The 2015 Ibrahim Forum, under the theme “African Cities”, will explore innovation and solutions crucial to unlocking the potential of urban centres to act as engines of sustainable and equitable growth and development. MIF aims to discuss the unique scale and nature of urbanisation on the continent, addressing the associated challenges and opportunities that require strong governance and leadership in order to secure progress. | | | The Snapping Cities photography competition MIF held the Snapping Cities photography competition between August and November 2014, offering an opportunity for photographers of all abilities and ages to capture aspects of urban life in Africa through their own lenses. The Foundation was looking for images that captured inspiring ways of tackling urban challenges in African cities, from modern innovations to basic adaptations of everyday life.
The theme was open to personal interpretation with the aim of inspiring beautiful and original photographs. The top three entries were awarded prizes of US$500, US$200 and US$100. Entries were received from all over the continent and the winning entries appear below. | | | 1st Prize Muntaka Chasant, Accra, Ghana |  | | Muntaka Chasant is a travel writer based in Accra. His interests include travelling, mountain climbing, photography, writing and reading. “I entered this photograph in the Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s snapping cities photography competition because the scene and context resonates with me in such a strong way. The young people found inspiration through art and to me those moments of their lives were worth freezing”. | | | 2nd Prize Adedana Ashebir, Mekelle, Ethiopia Adedana is an Ethiopian-American freelance writer living in Nairobi. She writes mostly on Africa, technology and travel. Much of her writing and energy is focused on being an ambassador for the continent. Photography has long been a hobby. “I entered the "Snapping Cities" contest because it was a great forum to continue sharing different aspects of the African story. The photo captures a local effort to promote literacy and taking a moment to pause in a city increasingly wired and on the go.” | | | 3rd Prize Nseabasi Akpan, Cotonou, Benin Nseabasi Akpan is a photographer with a keen interest in street photography and a passion for reportage and documentary with a focus on politics, the environment, football, religious, social, human and cultural issues. “I entered for the competition because believe it will give me a platform to show-case my work, advocate for art as a tool to develop and empower youth, communicate and express myself for the better of Africa. This picture captures the flooding in Cotonou. Despite all odds these little kids invented a make do jerrycan boat to use in sailing to school.” | | A selection of the best photographs will be displayed at the 2015 Ibrahim Forum on African Cities in Accra, Ghana, where they will be seen by prominent African political and business leaders, representatives from civil society, multilateral and regional institutions as well as Africa’s major international partners. | | | |  | | My 2014 Ibrahim Leadership Fellowship by Carl Manlan – UNECA | |  | | | | Earlier this year, when I received the email notification from the Chair of the Selection Committee of UNECA/MIF to inform me that I had been awarded an Ibrahim Fellowship, I paused to reflect on the implications of the decision we were about to take as a family. At a personal level, it dawned on me that my acceptance of the Fellowship would become a lifelong commitment to uphold the principles of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. The Fellowship offers the recipient a unique window into African and global affairs. Over the past six months, I have observed many actors in the African political landscape. I have learnt much from their contribution to policy discussions on agriculture, regional integration, new forms of partnerships, youth, etc. At times, it feels like I am taking a second Masters in Public Administration with tons of reading that I am yet to fully grasp. This doesn’t worry me because I am absorbing all this new information and, one day, when these skills and knowledge are required, they will have become second nature. In a week, I cover topics ranging from macroeconomic policy to regional integration and trade through African Union matters. This vastness of range reflects the continental aspirations of Africans. A moment that I will always remember was at the African Union Summit in Malabo, listening to the Executive Secretary and President Mahama. It was a unique insight into the exercise of power. I could then relate this to ‘My first coup d’état’, a book President Mahama wrote and the different roles that he has played. My aim is to aspire to excellence through hard work. I am listening and engaging with the conversations that will shape Africa’s present and future. In September, I was privy to some of the discussions that were later made public in the UN Secretary-General’s Summit on Ebola. The privilege was extended by my participation in the African Union, Economic Commission for Africa and African Development Bank joint mission to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. It was a real demonstration of African solidarity. I will recall this as a defining moment in my professional career. To be associated with the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa is irreplaceable. I have gained access to knowledge and information that is shaping my contribution to Africa. I am better equipped to contribute more because I am associated with excellence. It is not stumbling excellence. It is the one that impacts the change sought for by Africans. One day, when I tell my children about this experience, I want them to be proud to be Africans. I also want them to see that it was necessary for me to contribute to their future Africa, to understand that their aspirations required women and men to make Africa a dynamic reality, where transformation is homogeneously distributed from Abidjan to Cape Town, their homes, via Addis Ababa. To be a Mo Ibrahim Fellow, in 2014, means that one more African was offered the unique opportunity to understand and contribute to the paradigm shift of African transformation. | | SOAS Summer Residential School | | The annual residential school on governance and development is part of the Governance for Development in Africa programme that SOAS runs in collaboration with the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.
This initiative aims to contribute to and stimulate debate on governance, development, and the nature of the relationship between them. About 20 participants from a range of African countries, and representative of the academic, civil society and government sectors, are selected each year to take part in the residential school. Detailed information, video recordings and participant profiles can be found on the website www.governanceinafrica.org.
The 2015 Residential School will be held at SOAS in London, UK, 23–26 March. Applicants should download the call for applications here, and send the required information to Angelica Baschiera before the deadline of 31 December 2014. | | | |  | | Highlights from recent research papers, a calendar of upcoming elections and news from other institutions and partners. | | | | |  | | - The 2014 Global Peace Index, launched in June, showed that in the last seven years there has been a notable deterioration in levels of peace in the world.
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The 2014 Human Development Report was launched in July by UNDP. The 2014 Report summarised that unless vulnerability is systematically addressed by changing policies and social norms, progress will be neither equitable nor sustainable. - The UN released the Millennium Development Goals Report 2014 in July. The report states that while many MDG targets have been met, some targets related to largely preventable problems such as reducing child and maternal mortality and increasing access to sanitation, are slipping away from achievement by 2015.
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The World Bank published its latest estimate of global poverty in October 2014, reporting that 1.01 billion people lived on less than US$1.25 a day in 2011, compared with 1.91 billion in 1990. - The World Bank launched its Doing Business 2015 report in October. Of the ten economies that have shown the most improvements in the regulatory environment for local entrepreneurs since the previous year, five are located in Africa: Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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In Even it Up: Time to end extreme inequality, published in October, Oxfam presented new evidence that the gap between the rich and poor around the world is growing wider and undermining poverty eradication. - The Global Hunger Index (GHI), created by the International Food Policy Research Institute, was launched in October. The GHI is designed to measure and track hunger globally and by country and region. The GHI shows that despite progress since 1990, levels of hunger remain ‘alarming’ or ‘extremely alarming’ in 16 countries – the majority of these being African.
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UNCTAD launched the Economic Development in Africa Report 2014 in October on the theme of “Catalysing Investment for Transformative Growth in Africa”. - In October ONE released its 2014 DATA Report: Fighting Poverty and Financing Africa’s Future. The report offers 11 specific recommendations to improve public finance for development beyond 2015.
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Transparency International launched a report, Transparency in Corporate Reporting: Assessing the World’s Largest Companies, on 5 November, which evaluates the transparency of corporate reporting by the world’s 124 largest publicly listed companies. Out of these 124 companies, 90 fail to reveal any information about tax payments in foreign countries. - UNAIDS launched The Cities Report on World AIDS Day (1 December) outlining the important role that urban areas will play in ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. The report shows how cities and urban areas are particularly affected by HIV, with the 200 cities most affected by the epidemic estimated to account for more than a quarter of the 35 million people living with HIV around the world.
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