Nigeria records improvement in Social Progress Index

Nigeria improved its ranking on the Social Progress Index 2014, a report by the National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria (NCCN) showed tuesday.

This was as a result of regulatory reforms and increased competitiveness as a means to better livelihoods for all Nigerians, according to the NCCN.
The social progress index is a global ranking organisation established in 2013 by a team led by renowned Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter.

The index measures actual welfare and those conditions that matter most to people such as basic needs, access to healthcare and education, and the opportunity to improve livelihoods.

Nigeria’s improvement is a significant milestone”, the Chief Executive Officer of the NCCN, Mr. Chika Mordi said.

“The index measures actual welfare instead of an arbitrary academic benchmark. The results show that while our country has a very long way to go, Nigerians are better off today than they were a year ago. This will only get better as we continue our efforts to boost competitiveness and improve prosperity for all Nigerians,” he added.

The result, according to the report showed that the efforts of the NCCN and other initiatives were starting to take hold.

Areas with the most improvement include basic human needs, nutrition, health and wellness, access to information, basic knowledge, personal freedom and choice.

In the inaugural year, Nigeria was placed among the least ranking nations, two per cent of all nations measured as it ranked 49 out of 50 countries.
In the expanded 2014 survey, the report showed that Nigeria improved its ranking by almost 28 per cent, finishing 123 out 132.

Social progress is defined as the capacity of a society to meet the basic human needs of its citizens, establish the building blocks that allow citizens and communities to enhance and sustain the quality of their lives, and create the conditions for all individuals to reach their full potential.

The biggest areas for improvement include violent crime, political terror and criminality, with Boko Haram attacks playing a key role in Nigeria’s poor perception.

“There is still much work to be to help change the international perception of Nigeria,’’ Mordi added.

“More than 48,000 people have died in Mexico’s drug wars since 2006 and yet Nigeria is still perceived as a more violent country. That’s reflects a misalignment between perception and reality.”

The NCCN had established a security, corruption and country image working group chaired by a council member, Mr. Frank Nweke, responsible for creating an action plan to help improve Nigeria’s security as well as international perception about the nation.

The NCCN which was established in 2013 will continue its mission to boost the livelihoods and shared prosperity for all Nigerians through free markets, it stated.