African governance improves between 2016 and 2025, according to Ibrahim Index
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Connection Ivoirienne
Illustrative image · Mikhail Nilov · Pexels · Licence PexelsOverall governance in Africa improved between 2016 and 2025, mainly thanks to progress in economic and human development, according to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s 2026 Ibrahim Index. Forty-four countries, representing 68% of the continent’s population, made progress in the foundations of economic opportunities, says the index, which draws on 96 indicators from 51 sources.
Overall governance in Africa improved between 2016 and 2025, despite uneven and fragile progress, according to the 2026 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), published by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. The index assesses the performance of the continent’s 54 countries using 96 indicators grouped into four categories, including security and the rule of law, human development and economic opportunities.
The foundations of economic opportunities improved in 44 countries, representing 68% of Africa’s population. Infrastructure recorded the strongest improvement among the index’s 16 sub-categories: progress was reported in 52 countries, representing 84% of the continent’s population, particularly in access to energy, the internet and mobile connectivity. Education improved in 34 countries and health in 40, representing 75% and 87% of the population respectively.
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation attributes this trend in particular to countries’ resilience in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, the repercussions of the war in Ukraine on energy and food security, and the decline in development aid. The index is based on data from 51 international sources.
