The HANCI-Africa 2019 compares rankings and results with the previous issue of the HANCI-Africa index for 2017. Key findings concern:
Key findings of the HANCI-Africa 2019 are:
- South Africa retains top spot. It has strengthened outcomes across seven out of 22 indicators, including improved birth registration rates, vitamin A coverage rates, and women’s economic rights and women’s access to land. It did also show a small reduction in health spending.
- Burkina Faso is newly ranked second overall position. It improved outcomes on six indicators, including through increased spending on health, and action towards a nutrition budget. It strengthened security of tenure, and women’s access to land improved. People’s access to water and sanitation, and pregnant women’s access to ante-natal care however deteriorated.
- Burkina’s rise, and no clear overall advances in its own performance have made Malawi drop from second to overall third in the HANCI-Africa rankings.
Fastest ‘Climbers and Tumblers’
- West African countries have witnessed the fastest rank improvements in the HANCI-Africa 2019. Sierra Leone, Gabon, Benin, Nigeria and Botswana all rose 11 or more ranks. Botswana and Benin are now closing in on top ten listings, while Sierra Leone, Gabon and Nigeria moved to mid table rankings.
- Benin strengthened health and agricultural spending and worked towards a nutrition budget line. Security of tenure improved, as did access to water and sanitation. While women’s access to land improved, their general economic rights declined, and significantly fewer children received Vitamin A supplementation.
- Fastest riser Sierra Leone strengthened spending on agriculture, women’s access to land, agricultural extension services, and elevated levels of access to water and sanitation. It also introduced a national nutrition policy. While more relatively more children obtained birth registration, relatively fewer received Vitamin A supplementation.
- Eswatini (Swaziland) dropped 26 ranks, from mid table 17 to end of table 43rd rank. Social protection systems, women’s access to land weakened, as health and agricultural spending dropped, and nutrition budget lines, policy and up to date data for policymakers weakened.
- Egypt had shown strong progress between HANCI-Africa 2015 and HANCI-Africa 2017. This volatility continues, however, in reverse direction. Egypt has seen a precipitous decline in its ranking, from 3rd to 26th overall. This drop has been caused by a decline in government spending on agriculture, tenure security and agricultural extension services; weakening social protection systems; and women’s diminished access to land. Moreover, nutrition policy is flagging, as is up to date nutrition data to inform policymakers.
