Corruption Perceptions Index 2006: Mixed Results From Africa

Well, Transparency International released its 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index today. Below is a list of how the nation's we cover in the Investing in Africa newsletter and how they fared.

1) Botswana - Once again ranked the least corrupt nation in Africa and outscored 11 EU member states. Its global ranking, however, fell from 32 to 37 this year, and its total score fell from 5.9 to 5.6.

2) Mauritius - The island nation posted the most rapid improvement in this year's index. Its score surged from 4.2 last year to 5.1 this year, leapfrogging South Africa and Namibia and into second place.

3) South Africa - The Rainbow Nation improved its score slightly due to (in spite of?) some highly publicized corruption cases, notably one involving former deputy President Jacob Zuma.

4) Namibia - Launched an Anti-Corruption Commission this year. Even so, its CPI score slipped a bit from last year.

5) Ghana - The country is very unhappy that its CPI ranking and score fell this year. A government spokesperson reminded the media that the country recently enacted a wide range of anti-corruption legislation. The controversy highlights a key aspect of the CPI. It does not claim to be a scientific assessment of actual levels of corruption. Instead, it measures analysts' perceptions of corruption. Unfortunately, in the international investment game, perception of corruption often outweighs reality.

6) Tanzania - Held steady at a not-so-hot score of 2.9.

7) Malawi - Ranking fell slightly from 2.8 to 2.7.

8) Uganda - Notched a modest gain from 2.5 to 2.8.

9) Zambia - Held steady at 2.6. Hopefully Mwanawasa will now be emboldened to take further action against corruption following his presidential election victory.

10) Kenya - A slight improvement for Kenya from a very low base. Not sure if this is [thanks to] or [in spite of] the handling of the Anglo Leasing scandal.

11) Nigeria - Africa's most populous nation made a rather substantial gain from 1.9 last year to 2.2 this year. I'm guessing this is due to Obasanjo's reforms. Hopefully, this perception will continue to improve next year after the April presidential election.