Ghana consistently ranked peaceful in Africa

Ghana has achieved the remarkable feat of increasing peace in the last five years, even though the country recorded a slight dip in 2022, the latest Global Peace Index (GPI) has shown.

The overall sentiments adjudged by the world-renowned Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), producers of the GPI report, is that of a high sense of tranquillity relative to other countries.

Ghana’s latest GPI score for 2022 was 1.76, representing an increase compared to 2021. The increase toward 5 on the scale represents a decline.

The GPI is measured on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the most peaceful and 5 being the worst.

Ghana ranked 40th in the world out of 163 countries and second in Africa, only outstripped by Mauritius, which placed first in Africa and 28th in the world with a GPI score of 1.57.

The Gambia ranked third in Africa, with an overall score of 1.79 and a global overall country rank of 45.

Within the top 10 most peaceful countries in Africa according to the report’s latest ranking, Botswana is 4th with an overall score of 1.801; Sierra Leone 5th – with an overall score of 1.803; Zambia 6th – with an overall score of 1.841.

Ghana, renowned for its political stability for decades, further topped all others in sub-Saharan Africa and West Africa.

Within the period 2016 and 2022, Ghana’s GPI score reduced compared to the previous years, indicating an increase in the state of peace in the country.

From a rank of 6th on the African continent in 2016, Ghana’s trajectory has been upward, placing 2nd consecutively in 2021 and 2022.

Ghana’s neighbours have been the target of terrorists, jihadists and militants but collaborative efforts by the government, security agencies and foreign partners have shielded the country.

There have been several efforts to equip and increase the personnel of the various security agencies, including the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and allied agencies.

The deployment of new security and policing tactics has been visible with increased surveillance, police visibility and specialized units.

According to the Global Peace Index ranking 2022, Sub-Saharan Africa “is less peaceful than the global average in the Safety and Security and Ongoing Conflict domains, but more peaceful than the global average in the militarisation domain. Five coups, as well as disputes over election results and allegations of corruption, led to a rise in civil unrest and political instability across the region, resulting in an average deterioration across the region in the political terror indicator of 6.9 per cent.”

Global Peace Index (GPI)

The GPI ranks 163 independent states and territories (collectively accounting for 99.7 per cent of the world’s population) according to their levels of peacefulness.

In the past decade, the GPI has presented trends of increased global violence and less peacefulness.

The GPI is developed in consultation with an international panel of peace experts from peace institutes and think tanks, with data collected and collated by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

The Index was first launched in May 2009, with subsequent reports being released annually.

The study was conceived by Australian technology entrepreneur Steve Killelea and endorsed by individuals such as former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former President of Finland and 2008 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, economist Jeffrey Sachs, former president of Ireland Mary Robinson, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Jan Eliasson and former United States president Jimmy Carter.