JollofNews – While events in the Ivory Coast and those related with the New Year kept us occupied,

a very important development just about passed us unnoticed.
“Among Africa’s most bizarre and colorful leaders, he claims mystical powers, such as the ability to cure Aids and asthma with single dose of herbal treatments and a banana-rich diet…” This is how the East African Magazine described Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh, who, according to its December/January 2011 edition, currently languishes in the Intensive Care Unit, awaiting some unique medical dispensation.
‘The African Presidents Index: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’, categorized President Jammeh alongside the leaders of Sudan, Madagascar, Libya, Cameroon, Eritrea, and three other ‘Coconut Heads Of The Year’ for being “the archetypal bad governors; autocrats who run their countries like personal fiefdoms.”
All this is contained in the East African Magazine, a component of the East African, published by the Nation Media Group out of Nairobi, Kenya.
In this particular edition, ‘The African Presidents Index’, the performances of African leaders are assessed and each is scored and ranked.
The significance of this assessment lies in the fact that it is done by an indigenous African media group, employing the most authoritative indexes in the world used in measuring governance performances: The Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance; The Democracy Index; Freedom House’s Press Freedom Index; Transparency International’s Corruption Index; and the UN’s Human Development Index. From these the Nation Media Group (NMG) Index is developed, out of all of which each political leader is scored.
“This is, by no means, an iron-clad scientific approach,” notes the report, “and should be considered as the beginning of an exploration and measurement of the continent’s leaders that, we hope, we shall only be able to perfect in the years to come.”
African leaders are assigned grades based on their scores in a scale of 0 to 100, derived from the six indices above – from the best of the best, in this case the president of Mauritius, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, who scored 83.54 (A+), to the worst of the worst, the megalomaniac authoritarian Eritrean leader, Isaias Afwerki, who scored 12.14.

The worst of the worst
“Due to the extraordinarily oppressive, violent and corrupt governance found in many places on the continent,” the report further notes, two special categories were added to these basic grades: the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the Morgue.”
And it went on: “Leaders in this range represent the bottom of the barrel, and their countries will need intense rehabilitation to walk amongst the free and prosperous nations of the world.”
Out of a total of 52 leaders, His Excellency, Professor Alhajie Dr Yahya AJJ Jammeh ranks 40, scoring 32.48, and confined to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
In the NMG Political Index, Jammeh scored 1/10 (categorized at the bottom ‘Truly Appalling Performance’). This takes account of how a leader assumed power; whether they have extended or broken term limits; and measures investment in infrastructure, food security, democratic space, creative public policy, among other indicators geared towards both human resources and infrastructural development.

Sub regional performance
Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma, for someone who inherited a virtually broken nation, did remarkably well, making 9th place in the top best 10. Other West African leaders in this list being President Pedro Pires of Cape Verde (2nd), Ghana’s John Atta Mills (4th) and Mali’s Amadou Toumani Touré (8th). The rest in the list of the best 10 are the presidents of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles and Tanzania.
Africa’s first and only female president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, occupies the impressive 11th position, scoring 60.32 (B-), and the controversial Me Abdoulaye Wade comfortably occupies 18th position, with a score of 51.68 (C-). Recognizing Alassane Oua??ara as the legitimate president of Ivory Coast, the East African Magazine report places him at 21st position, with a score of 49.69 (D+). Guinea Bissau’s President Malam Bacai Sanha, at 38th position, two pints above his dear friend Yahya Jammeh, but both of them in the same Intensive Care Unit, scored 32.84.
It is interesting to note how Ethiopia’s despotic Meles Zenawi, Africa’s only absolute Monarch, His Majesty King Mswati III, Gaddafi and a host of other notorious leaders outdid President Jammeh in performance.
“These bad dudes trash national economies, refuse to hold meaningful elections, spends oodles of money on defense while populations starve, tear up constitutional order, spirit public funds to offshore accounts, destroy the free press, and build up cults of personality,” the report further describes Jammeh’s group of ‘Coconut Heads Of The Year’
And on the Gambian leader’s personal accolade, the report adds: “His ability to read at a functional level is doubted by some. He has expressed ambitions of territorial expansion; and carries a sword at all times.”
The full length of President Yahya Jammeh’s description, his scores on the various indices, alongside those of the rest of the continent’s leadership, good and bad, beautiful and ugly, can be accessed on this link.
Written by Kemo Cham

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