Accra is inching its way up on the global quality of living index

desmond frimpong

April 9, 2018 12:18 PM

The fastest growing country in the world has its capital ranking 12th in Africa on the quality of living index

Despite Ghana being the fastest growing country in the world, the numerous traffic jams, insecurity, and garbage within its capital have always affected its ranking on the global market.

According to the latest Quality of Living Ranking Report, compiled by Mercer in major cities around the world with Accra being placed at position 165 in the world and 12th in Africa.

In 2017, the west African capital was down at 14th position in Africa and 166th in the world.

Mercer reports that factors such as climate, disease and sanitation standards, ease of communications, and physical remoteness play a role in ranking cities on the index.

Port Louis (83) is the highest ranking African city for quality of living followed by the Durban (89), Cape Town (94) and Johannesburg (95). N’Djamena (226), Khartoum (227) and Bangui (230) stay the lowest ranked in the region. Persistent political instability, poverty, extreme climates and lack of appropriate infrastructure investments means these cities have the lowest quality of living worldwide.

Victoria (58) ranks highest on the continent for City Sanitation, followed by Durban (73) and Port Louis (80), whereas Brazzaville (225) and Antananarivo (226) fill the bottom places.

Mercer’s authoritative survey is one of the world’s most comprehensive and is conducted annually to enable multinational companies and other organisations to compensate employees fairly when placing them on international assignments.

In addition to valuable data on relative quality of living, Mercer’s surveys provide hardship premium recommendations for more than 450 cities throughout the world; this year’s ranking includes 231 of these cities.

In a press release, Ilya Bonic, senior partner and president of Mercer’s talent business, expanded on the topic:

“Heightened domestic and global security threats, population displacement resulting from violence, and social unrest in key business centres around the world are all elements adding to the complex challenge facing multinational companies when analysing the safety and health of their expatriate workforces. Multinational companies need accurate data and objective methods to determine the cost implications of deteriorating living standards and personal safety issues when compensating expatriates.”

desmond frimpong