By: Teddy Foday-Musa
July 2022
1. INTRODUCTION
The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) has released its 2022 Global Peace Index (GPI) report, in which Sierra Leone was rated as one of the most peaceful countries in the world. This year’s report is titled: Global Peace Index 2022: Measuring peace in a complex world. In its executive summary, it is noted that:
“This is the 16th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI), which ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness. This report presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to-date on trends in peace, its economic value, and how to develop peaceful societies. Produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the GPI is the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness.” (Global Peace Index, 2022).
2. ABOUT THE INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMICS & PEACE (IEP)
The IEP is credited with creating a paradigm shift in how people think about peace. It is the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness by using a comprehensive data-driven analysis of trends in peace, its economic value and how to create peaceful societies. It works with many international partners and collaborates with intergovernmental organisations to measure and communicate peace’s economic value. As indicated in their profile:
“The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank dedicated to shifting the world’s focus to peace as a positive, achievable, and tangible measure of human well-being and progress. IEP achieves its goals by developing new conceptual frameworks to define peacefulness; providing metrics for measuring peace…” (Global Peace Index, 2022).
3. SIERRA LEONE: A PEACEFUL COUNTRY AS PER THE 2022 GPI
The 2022 Global Peace Index (GPI) presented a snapshot of the global state of peace by indicating the peacefulness of 163 countries under six colours, interpreting their rank, scores and the progress made in terms of their upward or downward mobility. See the table-1 below for the six colours and their interpretation.
Table-1: The 2022 GPI peacefulness colours and interpretations
| NO. | COLOUR | INTERPRETATION | NARRATIVE |
| 1. | Bottle Green | Very High | Countries with very high peacefulness |
| 2. | Light Green | High | Countries with high peacefulness |
| 3. | Yellow | Medium | Countries with medium peacefulness |
| 4. | Orange | Low | Countries with low peacefulness |
| 5. | Red | Very Low | Countries with very low peacefulness |
| 6. | White | Not Included | Countries not included in the 2022 GPI |
Source: 2022 GPI – slightly modified by the author.
The 2022 GPI puts Sierra Leone in the second colour category (light Green), indicating that Sierra Leone is among the most peaceful countries in the world. On the 2022 GPI list of 163 countries, Sierra Leone was ranked 50th with a score of 1.801, indicating upward mobility progress of 2-step from the 2021 GPI. Only Ghana and the Gambia were ahead of Sierra Leone in West Africa, with the country taking 3rd in the West African sub-region. Consequently, Sierra Leone is among 90 countries that recorded improvements in peacefulness from the 2021 to 2022 GPI assessment. This status is shared with great industrialised nations like Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia, to name a few.
4. THE MANO RIVER UNION COUNTRIES
Our neighbour (Liberia) is ranked 75th in the colour category of yellow, indicating medium. Guinea Conakry is ranked 123rd and falls in the yellow colour category, falling 26 steps downward in negativity. So, among the Mano River Union Countries, Sierra Leone is ranked 1st as the most peaceful country in the mano river basin. In contrast, Ivory Coast is ranked 108th with scores of 2.144, taking the lead over Guinea Conakry. See table-2 for the Mano River Union Country ranking.
Table-2: 2022 GPI Mano River Union Country ranking
| RANK | COUNTRY | SCORE | COLOUR | INTERPRETATION |
| 50th | Sierra Leone | 1.803 | Light Green | High Peacefulness |
| 75th | Liberia | 1.973 | Yellow | Medium Peacefulness |
| 108th | Ivory Coast | 2.144 | Yellow | Medium Peacefulness |
| 123rd | Guinea | 2.332 | Yellow | Medium Peacefulness |
Source: 2022 GPI – slightly modified by the author
CONCLUSION
Sierra Leoneans have once again displayed their resilience and quest for peace. This pattern has been a constant trend since the end of the war in 2002. Sierra Leone’s two post-conflict governments – the Sierra Leone Peoples’ Party (SLPP) from 1996 to 2007 and the All Peoples’ Congress (APC) from 2007 to 2018 – both expressed a desire to reclaim and sustain peace. As a result, since the end of the civil war, Sierra Leone has held four democratic elections: in 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2018. While the incumbent was democratically re-elected in 2002 and 2012, the 2007 and 2018 elections saw a peaceful transfer of power from each democratically elected President to his successor, demonstrating the excellent judgment of Sierra Leonean electorates. In this narrative, the international community has frequently portrayed the country’s transition from conflict to peace and development as a success story. This must-have undoubtedly supported the country’s assessment for the 2022 GPI. However, the government is yet to fully implement the 2004 TRC recommendations, as Sierra Leoneans continue to trust in the recommendations, believing that its implementation will provide human dignity and social justice for all.
