African governance slumps, Kenya stagnates in new global index
Kenya, once showing gradual improvement, has now plateaued, remaining stuck at position 94 in the 2025 rankings, the same spot it held in 2024.
Governance standards across the African continent continue to deteriorate, with new data from the 2025 Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI) highlighting a concerning regional slump.
The index reveals that most African nations have suffered steady declines in governance quality over the past five years.
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“Sub‑Saharan Africa, already the weakest performers on the CGGI, have seen their scores decline over the past few years,” the Index report reads.
Additionally, it says the average score for countries in the continent during the review year is the lowest amongst all regions, although there has been a modest improvement between 2024 and 2025.
The CGGI, compiled annually by the Chandler Institute of Governance, benchmarks government performance across 120 countries using indicators related to leadership, institutions, public administration and service delivery.
According to Dinesh Naidu, Director (Knowledge) at the Chandler Institute of Governance, Africa still has significant work to do in improving the quality of governance.
“However, the recent progress recorded suggests an upward trajectory. Even in a challenging global environment, high-performance African countries are making governance advances that can inspire peers across the continent,” Naidu said.
He spoke on Tuesday during the regional launch of the Index.
Mauritius emerged as the highest-ranked country in Africa, followed by Rwanda and Botswana, which secured positions 51, 59, and 61, respectively.
Morocco, at position 75, and South Africa, ranked 77th, rounded out the continent’s top five performers.
While Mauritius remains the continent’s highest-ranked country for a fifth consecutive year, Rwanda stood out as the world’s best-performing low-income country.
South Africa, despite fiscal pressures, remains one of the continent’s stronger performers and a key reference point for institutional capacity.
Although outside the continental top five, Tanzania is noted to have recorded the most improvement of any African country since the Index was first published in 2021, rising from position 82 to 78 globally.
Kenya, once showing gradual improvement, has now plateaued, remaining stuck at position 94 in the 2025 rankings, the same spot it held in 2024.
Kenya’s stagnation in the index marks a reversal of earlier gains.
In 2023, the country ranked 85th, having held positions 82 in 2022 and 87 in 2021.
The sharp drop between 2023 and 2024, followed by this year’s lack of movement, underscores a growing concern over governance inertia.
Ideally, while the country has avoided further slippage, its inability to regain momentum could be pointing towards deeper structural and institutional weaknesses.
Globally, the index reveals that between 2021 and 2025, 57 countries saw their governance scores fall, while only 45 showed improvement.
However, even among those that improved, consistent year-on-year progress was rare.
Only five countries, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Vietnam, Mongolia, and China, managed steady gains across all five years.
The report emphasises that governance progress is becoming more polarised, with top-tier nations consolidating their lead while low-performing countries, especially in Africa and Latin America, fall further back.
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