The Chandler Index singles out Mauritius, Rwanda and Botswana for their governance performance, as well as Tanzania for its progress.
According to the 2025 Chandler Good Governance Index (CGGI) ranking, Mauritius is the best-performing government in Africa, followed by Rwanda and Botswana. These strong performances cannot hide the fact that the average score for African countries is the lowest of all regions, despite a slight improvement over two years.
The Chandler Institute of Governance is an NGO that works with governments around the world to build a resilient and effective public sector. It publishes an annual index that measures the capacity and effectiveness of 120 governments around the world. Developed by practitioners for practitioners, this index is intended as a practical diagnostic tool to help governments assess their performance and identify areas for capacity development.
Now in its fifth edition, the index offers one of the most comprehensive global measures of government capacity and effectiveness. ‘For Africa, the 2025 edition of the index presents a mixed but hopeful picture.’ This is one of the conclusions recently presented by Dinesh Naidu, Director of Knowledge at the Institute in Pretoria. “Overall, the African region still has much to do to improve the quality of its governance. However, recent progress suggests an upward trajectory. Despite the difficult global context, high-performing African countries are making advances in governance that can inspire their peers across the continent. ”
While many of the 28 African countries ranked by the index face fiscal and institutional challenges, several stand out for their progress and resilience.
In the 2025 ranking of 120 countries, Mauritius (51st), Rwanda (59th), Botswana (61st), Morocco (75th) and South Africa (77th) are among the top five countries in the region. Mauritius remained the highest-ranked country on the continent for the fifth consecutive year, but Rwanda stands out as the world’s best-performing low-income country, ‘demonstrating that national wealth is not necessarily a prerequisite for effective government,’ the Institute comments. New to the index, Côte d’Ivoire ranks a modest 90th.
Tanzania’s efforts
Among other examples, the report notes that in recent years, Botswana has improved its judicial system through digitisation reforms, while Morocco has made notable progress in data transparency and digital infrastructure. South Africa, despite budgetary pressures, remains one of the continent’s best performers and a benchmark for institutional capacity.
“South Africa continues to demonstrate real strengths in terms of rigorous laws and policies, as well as reliable institutions, enabling it to remain among the five best-performing African countries. At the same time, persistent fiscal pressures and social tensions underscore the need to strengthen outcomes in areas such as employment and income distribution. South Africa has put the necessary frameworks in place; it must now focus on translating these competencies into more inclusive and tangible outcomes for citizens.
For its part, Tanzania has recorded the strongest improvement of any African country since the index was first published in 2021. However, this performance is relative: the country has moved from 82nd to 78th place globally.
However, the report notes that in recent years, the Tanzanian government has expanded its digital governance initiatives and introduced structural reforms to improve administrative efficiency and service delivery. “The government’s Digital Tanzania project is laying the foundations for technology-driven governance solutions, while new regulatory frameworks, such as the Data Protection Act, aim to strengthen security in the digital space. ‘
Dinesh Naidu sums it up: ’Good governance is built over decades, but every step forward counts. The progress we are seeing today in these African countries, from digitisation to public institution reforms, are the building blocks of long-term transformation. ”
Nevertheless, Africa remains behind; only two countries, Tanzania and Rwanda, have improved their rankings in four years. Financial management remains a major concern, in a context where budgetary envelopes are tightening and the burden of public debt weighs heavily on the entire region.
Singapore, world leader!
And yet, the continent’s strong demographic momentum offers promising opportunities. ‘With 70% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 30, governments that can deliver employment, education and inclusive growth stand to reap a considerable dividend,’ says the Institute.
‘What is encouraging is the progress made in areas such as institutional reliability and digital governance. Across Africa, we are seeing examples of governments innovating to improve service delivery and strengthen accountability. These reforms show that, even in a difficult global context, progress is possible,’ comments Dinesh Naidu.
Governments are under pressure to deliver better services and governance. The index provides them with concrete benchmarks across seven pillars: leadership and foresight, quality of laws and public policies, institutional strength, public finance management, economic attractiveness, global influence, and ability to promote social mobility.
It is worth noting that the top-ranked country may come as a surprise, as it is Singapore! However, the city-state is regularly criticised by human rights organisations for restricting freedom of expression and for its particularly harsh justice system. The report does not ignore these issues, but highlights Singapore’s ability to attract capital, promote social mobility and maintain stable and relevant political institutions. The names of the next countries in the index (Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland) are less surprising. The United Arab Emirates ranks 9th, France 18th and the United States 23rd.
The ‘Chandler Index of Good Governance aims to recognise progress, foster peer learning and inspire improvement. We see it as a practical guide for governments committed to strengthening their long-term capacity and improving service delivery,’ says Dinesh Naidu.
He concludes: ‘The Chandler Institute of Governance remains committed to working alongside African governments, sharing their ideas and strengthening public institutions to build a more resilient and inclusive future.’
