Ghana on borderline indicator as country ranks 112 on 2012 Failed States Index

Ghana was on the borderline on the 2012 Failed States Index (FSI) published mid-June 2012 by US magazine Foreign Policy in collaboration with non-profit research oraganisation Fund for Peace (FFP).

The 2012 edition of the Index ranked Ghana 112 out of 177 countries worldwide with a score of 67.5 as against the 114 it placed in 2011, with a score of 67.7.

The Index uses 12 social, economic, and political indicators of pressure on the state, along with over 100 sub-indicators. These include issues such as Uneven Development, State Legitimacy, Group Grievance, and Human Rights.

Each indicator is rated on a scale of 1-10, based on the analysis of millions of publicly available documents, other quantitative data, and assessments by analysts. A high score indicates high pressure on the state, and therefore a higher risk of instability.

The Index has categorized the countries into five major indicators to show the state of each nation. In an orderly manner, the indicators are Critical, In Danger, Borderline, Stable and Most Stable.

The state of Ghana was placed on the Borderline rather than Stable or Most Stable as many might have expected. The country recently slipped to the 50th position from 42nd on the 2012 Global Peace Index (GPI).

The 2012 FSI ranks Somalia as number one for the fifth consecutive year, citing widespread lawlessness, ineffective government, terrorism, insurgency, crime, and well-publicized pirate attacks against foreign vessels.

Meanwhile, Finland has remained in the best position, with its Scandinavian neighbors Sweden and Denmark rounding out the best three rankings

By Ekow Quandzie