By Omar Bah
Gambia is ranked 85th out of 142 countries in adherence to rule of law, according to the latest global Rule of Law Index released by the World Justice Project (WJP).
The 2023 index released on Wednesday in Washington DC, United States, also showed that out of the 34 countries ranked in the sub-Saharan region, The Gambia is rated 9th.
According to the WJP report, countries were judged on eight indicators, namely constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice.
The report noted that Gambia’s score increased by 3 points.
It added that rule of law has once again eroded in a majority of countries this year.
“This is the sixth consecutive Index marking global declines in the rule of law. This year alone, the rule of law declined in 59 per cent of countries surveyed. However, Gambia is among the minority of countries to see its Rule of Law Index score increase this year,” the report stated.
Globally, the top-ranked country in the 2023 WJP Rule of Law Index is Denmark, followed by Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Germany.
The country with the lowest score is Venezuela, trailed by Cambodia, Afghanistan, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In terms of absence of corruption, Gambia was ranked 67th out of 142 countries globally and 6th out of 34 countries in the region. The performance in this indicator was the best performance for Gambia in any of the indicators in Africa followed by constraints on government powers which is ranked 57th globally and 8th in Africa.
Co-founder and President of WJP, William Neukom, explained that “the world remains gripped by a rule of law recession characterised by executive overreach, curtailing of human rights, and justice systems that are failing to meet people’s needs.”
