ZIMBABWE’S performance in governance issues has declined to alarming levels while government has been flagged for failing to provide jobs for its general citizenry, latest reports published recently have revealed.
According to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Zimbabwe’s overall governance score has improved over the last decade, but has deteriorated over the most recent five years.
In a report released recently, the foundation expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in the country.
The report comes after the country was flagged over its inability to ensure on job creation for its unemployed citizens.
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation released the 2024 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), the latest iteration of the biennial dataset assessing governance performance and trends in the 54 African countries over the decade 2014-2023.
The IIAG is based on 322 variables clustered in 96 indicators, organised under 16 sub-categories and four main categories including security & rule of law; participation, rights & inclusion; foundations for economic opportunity; and human development.
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According to the Foundation, the 2024 IIAG showed that after four years of almost complete stagnation, Africa’s overall governance progress ground to a halt in 2022 as rising conflict and insecurity, as well as a shrinking democratic space across the continent, undermine critical progress achieved in human and economic development.
“Over the decade 2014-2023, there is progress for just over half (52,1%) of Africa’s population, living in 33 out of 54 countries, but for the remaining half, the level of overall governance reached in 2023 is worse than in 2014.
“However, this concerning picture at the continental average level masks very dynamic and diverse performances and trajectories across the 54 African countries and between the 16 IIAG sub-categories,” the foundation said.
“With a score of 47.1 (out of 100.0), Zimbabwe ranks 31st (out of 54) in overall governance in 2023. While Zimbabwe’s overall governance score has improved over the last decade (2014-2023), deterioration over the most recent five years (2019-2023) is worrisome.
“Zimbabwe has improved in three out of the four IIAG categories since 2014, namely security & rule of law, foundations for economic opportunity and human development.
“However, Zimbabwe has deteriorated in participation, rights & inclusion, driven by decline in the sub-categories participation and inclusion & equality.”
In the sub-category level, the IIAG sub-category drivers of change identify the sub-categories that follow the same 10-year trajectory as the overall governance score of the country of choice, as well as the sub-categories that follow the opposite trajectory.
“Between 2014 and 2023, Zimbabwe has improved in 10 out of the 16 IIAG sub-categories. It has improved in all sub-categories of the foundations for economic opportunity category.
“The categories to have seen the most sub-categories deteriorate are security & rule of law, participation, rights & inclusion and human development.
“In 2023 Zimbabwe scores above the continental average for six sub-categories. Zimbabwe scores above the continental average for 38 of the 96 IIAG indicators.
“Zimbabwe improved in 49 out of the 96 indicators between 2014 and 2023 and declined in 43. No change was registered in four indicators.
“Zimbabwe’s indicators’ final scores in 2023 range from 4.4 (Public Perception of easiness to obtain an identity document) to 100.0 (absence of armed conflict).”
Meanwhile, a recent Afrobarometer survey has revealed that Zimbabweans are deeply dissatisfied with their government’s performance on key issues, mainly on job creation.
According to the report, unemployment leads the list of pressing issues, with 45% of respondents citing it as one of their three priorities.
This is followed closely by food insecurity, with 32% struggling to access basic necessities such as food shortages or famine, health, education, water supply, corruption and economic management.
According to the report, Zimbabweans prioritised job creation due to high unemployment rates that affect livelihoods and economic stability.
“Unemployment outranks other issues as the country’s most important problem that citizens want their government to address, cited by 45% of respondents as one of their three priorities.
“Food shortage/famine (32%), health (31%), education (21%), water supply (20%), corruption (20%) and management of the economy (19%) follow closely behind,” the statement said.
The Afrobarometer survey’s findings also depict the government’s poor performance in job creation.
“A staggering 91% of citizens believe the government is handling job creation ‘fairly badly’ or ‘very badly.’ Large majorities also express dissatisfaction with the government’s efforts to address poverty, price stability, corruption and basic services like water and sanitation.
“Large majorities of citizens say the government is performing ‘fairly badly’ or ‘very badly’ on creating jobs (91%), narrowing gaps between rich and poor (81%), improving the living standards of the poor (80%), keeping prices stable (78%), fighting corruption (77%), providing water and sanitation services (70%), managing the economy (68%), addressing educational needs (61%) and improving basic health services (61%).”
The report said younger Zimbabweans, urban residents, the poor and the educated were against government’s economic management.
Education level and individual experience with poverty also shape the perceptions, with 95% of post-secondary educated individuals and 95% of the poor expressing negative assessments of the government's job creation efforts, the report said.
“Negative assessments of the government’s performance on creating jobs increase with respondents’ level of education, ranging from 88% among those with primary education or less to 95% among those with post-secondary qualifications.
“They also increase with respondents’ experience of lived poverty, ranging from 85% among the wealthy to 95% among the poor,” the report said.
On the provincial level, the Afrobarometer report said a percentage of respondents responded that the government was handling basic health services “fairly badly” or “very badly” with an average of 61% across all provinces.
However, residents from Bulawayo, Matabeleland South and Matabeleland North provinces disapproved the handling of basic health services by the government because they are leading with percentages that are nearly three-quarters of 100%.