The 2024 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) reveals that Africa’s overall governance performance has seen minimal improvement over the past decade.
The 2024 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) reveals that Africa’s overall governance performance has seen minimal improvement over the past decade. It stagnated at a score of 49.3 in 2023, an increase of only +1.0 since 2014, and progress halted entirely by 2022.
While 33 countries showed positive gains, 21 nations, representing nearly half of Africa’s population, experienced a decline in governance compared to 2014.
The overall trend is concerning, largely driven by a steady decline in the security & rule of law dimension, which has been the most affected category since 2014, dropping by -1.6 points.
Additionally, the inconsistent trajectory of participation, rights & inclusion has contributed to the stagnation, with a slight decrease of -0.2 points from 2014 to 2023. Within these categories, the most significant declines are seen in security & Safety (-5.0 points) and participation (-4.5 points), while Rights (-2.8 points) and accountability & transparency (-1.4 points) have also worsened, though to a lesser degree.
However, the report highlights countries like Seychelles as success stories, Seychelles surpassed Mauritius in 2020 to become the top-ranked country, with an impressive gain of +10.0 points over the decade, rising from 7th place in 2014. In contrast, Mauritius has followed a downward trend, losing -4.0 points over the same period.
Below are the top 10 best governed countries in Africa:
Rank
Country
2014 rank
2023 rank
1
Seychelles
7th
1st
2
Mauritius
1st
2nd
3
Cabo Verde
3rd
3rd
4
South Africa
4th
4th
5
Botswana
2nd
5th
6
Namibia
5th
6th
7
Ghana
8th
7th
8
Morocco
13th
8th
9
Tunisia
6th
9th
10
Kenya
12th
10th
