By Umaru Fofana
Sierra Leone has risen three places from last year to 95 out of 113 countries ranked around the world on a rule of law index by the World Justice Project.
It ranks 12 out of 18 countries in Africa scoring 0.45, with 1.0 being the strongest. In other words 45%.
The sixth annual WJP Index report on countries around the world was released on 20 October and is based on perceptions of the general public and in-country experts. It puts Sierra Leone ahead of Nigeria, Cameroun, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia, but the country lags behind Liberia (94), Cote D’Ivoire (87) and Burkina Faso (79).
Ranked 43, South Africa tops the continent on 0.59. It is followed by Ghana (44), Botswana (45), Senegal (46), Malawi (69) and Burkina Faso (79).
The report says Sierra Leone’s best area of performance(0.66 - with 1.0 being the maximum) is in the area of order and security, and 0.57 in that of fundamental rights adherence. The former ranks countries largely based on the presence of armed or civil conflict, crime and violent redress.
Sierra Leone however scored its lowest in corruption (0.30) and criminal justice (0.40). Corruption is perceived to be most prevalent in Parliament, followed by the security forces, judiciary and the executive, says the report.
The report warns that “effective rule of law reduces corruption, combats poverty and disease, and protects people from injustices large and small”. That, it goes on to say, “is the foundation for communities of peace, opportunity, and equity – underpinning development, accountable government, and respect for fundamental rights”.
The 194-page report on the whole looks at eight benchmarks: constraints on government powers, corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice. It also includes informal justice, but that does not make up the aggregated scores and rankings.
The report writers say it aims to measure “a nation’s adherence to the rule of law from the perspective of how ordinary people experience it…[and to] help to inform policy debates, both within and across countries, that advance the rule of law”.
“Where the rule of law is weak, medicines fail to reach health facilities, criminal violence goes unchecked, laws are applied unequally, and foreign investments are held back” the report says.
Copyright (c) Politico 2016
