Mauritius and the Seychelles are Africa’s best-governed countries, followed by Cape Verde at 3rd and Botswana 4th according to a study by Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Governance. The top four rankings were unchanged from last year. War-torn somalia and Sudan are the worst.

53 governance were rated according to the 2009 Index of African Governance which had criteria’s including maternal mortality, gross domestic product per capita, respect for human rights and judicial independence. Coordinated by Robert Rotberg and Rachel Gisselquist, the study has been published annually since 2007.

The authors said in an e-mailed statement. “By taking note of which indicators lag and which have advanced, governments can improve the outcomes for their populations” and “Bettering the lives of all of Africa’s peoples is the overriding purpose of the index.”

South Africa, which has the continent’s largest economy, went down the list to ninth place from fifth. The decline was due to “its lower scores in the areas of respect for civil and political rights and the rule of law,” the authors said. “The index also reveals continuing challenges in South Africa in terms of poverty and inequality.”