33 Out Of 54 African Countries Not Making Progress – Report

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has released the 2024 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), the latest iteration of the biennial dataset assessing governance performance and trends. The index indicates that 33  54 African countries are not progressing in good governance.

The report covers 10 years – 2014-2023—and was collected from 49 independent sources, with some data commissioned by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. The IIAG is based on 322 variables clustered in 96 indicators, organised under 16 sub-categories and four main categories: Security & Rule of Law; Participation, Rights & Inclusion; Foundations for Economic Opportunity; and Human Development.

The 2024 IIAG shows that after four years of almost complete stagnation, Africa’s Overall Governance progress ground to a halt in 2022 as rising conflict and insecurity, as well as a shrinking democratic space across the continent, undermine critical progress achieved in human and economic development. Over the decade 2014-2023, there is progress for just over half (52.1%) of Africa’s population, living in 33 out of 54 countries, but for the remaining half, the overall governance level reached in 2023 is worse than in 2014.

However, this concerning picture at the continental average level masks dynamic and diverse performances and trajectories across the 54 African countries and between the 16 IIAG sub-categories.

At the country level, 13 countries – including Egypt, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Somalia – have followed a successful overall governance progress over the decade, even accelerating improvement since 2019. The latter four also rank in the top 10 most improved countries between 2014 and 2023, along with Seychelles, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Angola, Mauritania and Djibouti.

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Having made striking progress over the decade (+10.0 points), Seychelles overtakes Mauritius, the top-ranking country in 2023.

Following the opposite course, 11 countries are on a concerning decade-long trend of deterioration that has worsened since 2019. Some of them, such as Sudan, grapple with ongoing crises. However, decade-long deteriorations are also seen in high-ranked countries. Mauritius, Botswana, Namibia and Tunisia, though still ranking in 2023 among the ten highest-scoring countries, also feature among the most deteriorated countries over 2014-2023, along with Comoros, Mali, Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Niger and Eswatini.

The ten highest-scoring countries follow wildly diverging courses. Morocco is the only country managing to accelerate improvement over the decade, while Mauritius, Botswana, and Tunisia are on a concerning trend of worsening deterioration.

The 2024 IIAG also highlights significant divergences at the sub-category level. Progress remains substantial in the majority of economic and human development-related sub-categories. Infrastructure is the most improved sub-category across the decade, underpinned by impressive advancements in access to mobile communications, the internet and computers, and energy—closely followed by remarkable progress in Women’s Equality. In these two areas, around 95% of Africa’s citizens live in a country where the level achieved in 2023 is far better than in 2014.

Concurrently, however, all security and democracy-related sub-categories have deteriorated over the past decade, with declines being the worst in both the Security & Safety and Participation sub-categories. Over 77% of Africa’s citizens live in a country where the level reached in 2023 in these two areas is worse than in 2014.

Despite the progress thus observed in critical areas, public perceptions signal growing frustration among Africa’s citizens. Except for Public Perception of Female Leadership, all public perception indicators showcase some degree of deterioration, even when the corresponding governance dimensions display progress. This is particularly notable in Public Perception of Economic Opportunities (-12.4) – the most deteriorated indicator out of the 96 IIAG indicators.

Reflecting on the findings of the 2024 IIAG, Mo Ibrahim, the Founder and Chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, said: “The 2024 IIAG is a sobering reminder of the threat that a deepening security crisis and shrinking participatory environment poses to the continent’s progress. Of course, it also reflects the global crisis. Escalating conflicts and deepening mistrust in democratic institutions and values are not specific to Africa; we see it worldwide. But it is explicitly concerning in Africa because it threatens our progress in economic and social development and the advancements we are yet to achieve.

“But let us not summarise Africa’s governance landscape under a single average too quickly. Ours is a vast continent of 54 countries with highly diverging trends, some with strikingly successful trajectories and others with concerning warning signs. Indeed, there has been deterioration in Sudan, Sahelian countries, the DRC, Tunisia, and Mauritius. However, the remarkable progress registered by countries such as Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Seychelles, Angola and Benin, and some key areas, such as infrastructure and women’s equality, should offer hope of achieving what,” he asked.