Botswana deemed least corrupt in WEF survey

Botswana is deemed to be the least corrupt out of 21 African economies surveyed by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Botswana's neighbour South Africa ranked third on the list of the least corrupt countries. Other southern African countries on the list were Mauritius as the fourth least corrupt, with Zambia placed half way at 11th. Next was Mozambique at 12, followed by Zimbabwe at 14, Angola at 15 and Madagascar at 17. The index was calculated from responses to the WEF Executive Opinion Survey 2003, which captured the perceptions of national business leaders on the quality of the business environment of the country in which they operate. Questions posed for the corruption section included how commonly the industry surveyed had to make undocumented extra payments, or bribes, for import and export permits, connection to public utilities like telephones and electricity, or with annual tax payments. Botswana topped the list again in the "contracts and law" index, with Zimbabwe almost at the bottom of the log at 20. The "contracts and law" index questions how independent the country's judiciary is from political influence, whether financial assets are clearly protected by law, whether there is favouritism when government contracts are awarded, and whether organised crime imposes significant costs on business. More details: www.weforum.org