Tunisia ranks first in North Africa in matters of prosperity
African Manager

Tunisia was ranked first in North Africa, third in the Arab world after the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait and fourth in Africa by the Third "Legatum Institute" Annual Report on prosperity in the world for 2009.

This third edition, presented at a news conference on November 3 at the Washington American Enterprise Institute, ranks Tunisia 68th, ahead of Jordan (80th), Saudi Arabia (81st), Morocco (83rd), Lebanon (86th), Egypt (88th) and Algeria (96th). This ranking is based on a holistic evaluation model established by this policy research organisation in association with the Oxford Analytica, a consultancy and research office and a panel of academic advisers.

Tunisia has distinguished itself, according to the "Legatum Institute," particularly by its performance in governance, its stability and its security, as well as quality and accessibility of its educational and health systems.

Based on an analysis of objective data, the index of prosperity identifies nine key factors, presented in sub-indices which are the foundations of prosperity. These pillars are: growing and healthy economy, entrepreneurship and innovation, democratic institutions, education, health, social capital, stability and security and governance.

In this regard, Tunisia was ranked 36th at the level of the governance sub-index which encompasses the variable rule of law, government efficiency and political participation. It was ranked 37th in security. This sub-index combines indices that measure security pertaining, in particular, to violence, number of homicides and theft.

The Legatum Institute's report points, in particular, to the important role of good governance and its contribution to economic progress, by underlining that "countries that have a good governance system are most likely to benefit from healthy economic foundations and an entrepreneurial culture."
The Report also emphasises the inextricable link between security and prosperity, indicating, in this regard, that "security is both cause and consequence of overall prosperity and that a safe nation helps its citizens blossom with no fear at all."

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