April 11, 2015 — The FEEEDS Advocacy Initiative, as part of the April 9, 2015, event with Gallup and Allafrica.com on post Nigerian Election Challenges, launched a new index, @The FEEEDS® Index, powered by Gallup Analytics polling data, which focused on key political, election, economic, social, and development issues for SubSaharan Africa. CEO-FEEEDS, Ambassador Robin Renee Sanders, says the idea behind the new Index, is to provide actual polling data in these key overarching subject areas, on issues country-by-country, and various subthemes (e.g. food security, education, housing, and health), regularly discussed by Africa experts, but not always with adequate polling and statistical data on which to refer based on independent conversations with African nations.
In the case of new @the FEEEDS® Index , the polling data comes from firsthand discussions and responses by nationals of some 31-35 Sub-Saharan African countries. Noteworthy, in the April 9 rollout of the Index, it showed on aggregate how many people in the region feel about the honesty in elections in their country (only 36 percent of African respondents believed in elections in their country). Furthermore only 18 percent said they felt they could thrive well (well-being) in their current living environment.
As 12 sub-Saharan nations prepare for elections in 2015, how African nationals feel about the honesty of their election processes will be key for the overall region and for those of us who have hopes for more democratic transtions taking place on the Continent. The 12 nations on tap for elections in 2015 are: Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mauritius, Niger, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, and Zambia.
Last but not least, @the FEEEDS Index showed, in data terms, how strongly Africans feel that corruption is one of the singular most determinental factors affecting their nation and the region – with 80-90 percent respondents stating that corruption was at the top of their list as a major problem for their country. (Nigerian turned in a 91 percent high response rate on the corruption issue, while Rwanda was on the lower end of the scale at 9 percent). The general sense of economic conditions, despite 7-10 fastest growing economies being on the Continent, still remains low -- with only 24 percent of African respondents believing that their enviroment had good conditions.
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The FEEEDS Advocacy Initiative has also identified nine countries which it calls Powerhouse Nations – Angola, DRC-Kinshasa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Tanzania – because of their political, economic, or social impact on either their sub-region, or the Continent writ large. For these countries @the FEEEDS Index also highlights polling responses, especially in areas of food security, education, and development which are part of the core pillars of the FEEEDS Advocacy Initiative. Current plans are for the Index to be updated quarterly, as necessary on the FEEEDS cloud.
Polling data for all of 2014 and early 2015 will be included as results are finalized.
