Landing Better: Why the Empowerment Index Could Shape the Future of Nations

Imagine if every country could measure not just its wealth, but its people's true capacity to achieve their dreams. What if the success of a society wasn’t just GDP on a graph, but the number of lives genuinely lifted?

That is the visionary promise of the Empowerment Index, an idea championed by Yemi Babington-Ashaye in his powerful TEDx Talk, "Where Would You Like to Land?". It's not merely a new measurement tool; it’s a revolutionary lens through which we can rebuild the very foundation of progress.

The Significance of the Empowerment Index

Traditional indices; GDP, unemployment rates, income brackets,  tell us about the economic machinery. But they miss something vital: agency. They don't tell us whether people feel empowered to shape their own futures. The Empowerment Index seeks to fill that gap. It asks:

• Do individuals have the ability and resources to dream?

• Are systems set up to help people land where they want to, not just where they can?

By focusing on personal agency, institutional trust, and access to opportunity, the Empowerment Index touches the soul of human development. It shifts the question from "How rich are we?" to "How free and capable are we?"

In a world increasingly anxious about inequality, disenfranchisement, and stagnation, this index could be a critical tool for change,  a heartbeat monitor for societal health.

Viability and Strengths of the Empowerment Index

Skeptics might wonder: can such a nuanced concept be measured? The answer is yes, and arguably, it must.

Advancements in data science, combined with global surveys on trust, opportunity, mobility, and wellbeing, allow for rich, composite indicators. Institutions like the UNDP, World Bank, and OECD already employ complex indices to measure human development and inequality. The Empowerment Index would build on that tradition, but with a sharper, human-centered focus.

Its viability rests on its actionability:

• Governments can clearly identify empowerment gaps and act faster.

• Policymakers can tailor interventions where disempowerment is systemic (e.g., marginalized youth, disenfranchised rural communities).

• Civil society can mobilize around evidence-based narratives of hope and change.

Empowerment; once a vague ideal, becomes measurable, trackable, improvable.

Scalability: A Global Vision

The beauty of the Empowerment Index is that it is inherently scalable. From bustling urban centers to rural villages, from wealthy nations to emerging economies, the core questions of empowerment are universal. Every government, regardless of GDP, faces the question: Are we enabling our people to thrive?

As the index matures, it could:

• Become a standard in national development reports.

• Influence international funding decisions and SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) evaluations.

• Spur healthy competition between countries to become leaders not just in wealth, but in genuine empowerment.

Just as the World Happiness Report has reshaped conversations around well-being, the Empowerment Index could reshape global ambitions,  not toward being the richest, but toward being the most enabling.

The Transformative Benefits for Governments

For governments willing to embrace it, the Empowerment Index offers profound benefits:

• Smarter Policy-Making: Real-time insights into societal bottlenecks allow for precision governance rather than broad, often wasteful programs.

• Enhanced Legitimacy: By prioritizing empowerment, governments align themselves with the aspirations of their people, strengthening social contracts.

• Resilient Societies: Empowered citizens are more innovative, adaptive, and invested in their communities, reducing social unrest and boosting sustainable growth.

• Global Leadership: Early adopters could brand themselves as pioneers of the next generation of governance - governments of enablers, not just rulers.

In a world craving better answers to inequality, migration, disillusionment, and division, the Empowerment Index offers a new, hopeful route: lift people by trusting in their dreams.

A Final Word: Celebrating Yemi Babington-Ashaye

At the heart of this movement is Yemi Babington-Ashaye, a visionary who dares to ask not just where we are going, but how we land there. His deep humanity, combined with sharp intellect and practical optimism, makes him one of the rare changemakers who can inspire both boardrooms and classrooms alike.

Yemi reminds us that society’s true greatness lies not in building empires, but in building people , giving every individual the wings, and the runway, to land wherever their dreams take them.

The Empowerment Index isn't just an idea whose time has come; it is an idea that could lift the world higher than we ever thought possible.

So the question is no longer just, "Where would you like to land?" , but "When will we start helping everyone get there?"