Mozambique has maintained its 26th position in the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) 2022, but the decline recorded over the last decade is slowing down, according to the report published yesterday.

According to the study, drawn up by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and quoted by Lusa, Mozambique showed the most progress in the "Human Development" category, but this trend is slowing down in "Foundations for economic opportunities".

On the contrary, the country is deteriorating in the categories of "Participation, rights and inclusion" and "Security and the rule of law", with greater severity in the latter.

Insecurity related to terrorist attacks by Islamic extremist groups in the north of the country and the high prevalence of child marriage contribute to the poor performance, the study says.

The Ibrahim Index of African Governance annually measures the quality of governance in 54 African countries by compiling statistical data from the previous year.

Despite making slight progress of 1.1 points over the last decade, between 2012 and 2021, the growth curve that the IIAG had been recording since 2014 has stagnated since 2019.

The slowdown, which coincides with the period of the covid-19 pandemic, is mainly due to the increase in armed conflicts, repression against civilians and democratic setbacks in general, which have caused deterioration in terms of security, respect for the rule of law, participation and civil rights.

These setbacks have canceled out progress made in Africa with more economic opportunities and human development, particularly in access to health care.