New Research Says African Commonwealth Economies Are Generally More Competitive Than African Non-Commonwealth Economies

New research from the Royal Commonwealth Society says that African Commonwealth countries'

economies are generally more competitive than their non-Commonwealth counterparts. In fact,

five of the seven most competitive African countries are Commonwealth members (South Africa,

Mauritius, Rwanda, Botswana and Namibia).
The research was conducted to ascertain whether membership of the association confers any

measurable advantage upon its states and compares Commonwealth countries with their non-

Commonwealth regional and economic counterparts across a range of indicators, including

competitiveness, press freedom, inequality, gender, peace, democracy and environmental

sustainability.
The emerging findings of the research will be published on the 23 May by the Royal

Commonwealth Society in a report entitled 'Commonwealth Compared 2013: Setting the Scene'.

The first ever Commonwealth index of its kind, the report shines new light on the association's

greatest strengths and weaknesses. The findings suggest that while there is only a small difference

in the global median scores between the competitiveness of Commonwealth countries' economies

and non-Commonwealth countries' economies generally, African countries buck this trend and

outperform their non-Commonwealth partners.
As a working paper, the report doesn't investigate causality, but it does suggest that the shared

history of the Commonwealth, the familiarity forged between its leaders and its common language

have created a Commonwealth 'X-factor' and that now is the time to maximise the effectiveness of

the association.
The full report will be available to download from 20.00BST Thursday 23 May 2013, at

http://www.thercs.org/society/CommonwealthCompared.

Mike Lake, Director of the Royal Commonwealth Society, said:

'This is a thought-provoking and exciting report that suggests the Commonwealth network

provides a framework in which its member states can prosper. As countries reassess the value of

established networks, this report shows the potential of the Commonwealth and the tangible value

of shared history, values and language.'

The Royal Commonwealth Society is the oldest and largest civil society organisation devoted to
the Commonwealth. Founded in 1868, it conducts a range of events, research and activities aimed
at promoting international understanding. The RCS has some 4,000 members in the UK and a
presence in over 40 Commonwealth countries through a network of branches and Commonwealth
societies. The RCS is a registered charity in England and Wales. (226748). www.thercs.org
Press Contact:
Catherine Clark, Deputy Director, Royal Commonwealth Society. T: +44 (0) 20 7766 9204 / E:
[email protected]