Ghana is the 44th most peaceful country in the world, according to the 2019 Global Peace Index.
The country dropped three spots from the 41st in the previous year. The Index, the 13th in the series, released by the Institute for Economics and Peace ranks 163 countries according to their level of peacefulness.
In a press release copied to ghanabusinessnews.com, it also showed the country was the fourth peaceful country in sub-Saharan Africa, moving up a spot from its previous rank in 2018.
The Economist Intelligence Unit, a research and analysis group maintains that, political stability will remain underpinned by Ghana’s strong democratic credentials.
With the country already touted as one of the peaceful countries in Africa, the Index indicated improvements from political instability, earned points for Ghana as well as Angola and The Gambia, who rank 16th and 12th respectively in the region. It also noted that improvements in the political foundations for peace might have been the most promising development in the region.
The Index notes that ongoing conflicts, a part of the criteria for the ranking, deteriorated in countries like Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe and the Central African Republic. However, it notes the improvements in relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, particularly because of the peace accord the two countries signed in 2018.
Safety and security in the sub-Saharan region, was the lowest, it indicated. Alluding to violent demonstrations and terrorism, it said deteriorations were recorded in 24 countries.
What might have been the region’s best performing area, was militarization, even though the Index says that reductions in UN peacekeeping funding and increases in nuclear and heavy weapons, led to slight levels of deterioration.
Ghana, Mauritius, Botswana, Malawi and Zambia were the region’s most peaceful countries, while Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Somalia and South Sudan recorded lowest levels of peacefulness.
The report said average levels of global peacefulness improved for the first time in five years.
However, “a deeper analysis finds a mixture of positive and negative trends,” Steve Killelae, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Institute for Economics and Peace was quoted as saying.
By Gifty Danso
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