Nigeria Missing, Fails To Meet Up With 10 African Countries With The Best Govt
The Nigerian government under President Bola Tinubu has again failed to meet up with leading African countries in major metrics employed to assess development and compliance of its government with global best standards, OSUN DEFENDER reports.
This is because the country is missing among the top 10 African countries governed with standard best practices and a commitment to transparency, fiscal discipline as well as the tenets of good governance.
According to the Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI) 2025, which provided the latest data, the country’s poverty levels, huge unemployment, massive and grand corruption, vis-à-vis economic policies that have inflicted hardship on more than 70% of its over 200 million population, including young children and adults, is at the bane of the poor showing.
The CGGI believes that good governance remains a central factor in shaping prosperity, stability, and quality of life across Africa. With 54 nations on the continent, governments are also increasingly evaluated based on their ability to ensure transparency, strengthen institutions, and foster economic growth while respecting democratic values.
Published annually, the CGGI is regarded as a reliable benchmark that assesses 120 nations using 35 indicators grouped into seven core pillars of governance.
The index, developed by practitioners for government leaders, aims to encourage accountability while providing insights into areas where nations need improvement. It covers leadership effectiveness, respect for the rule of law, institutional quality, and economic resilience.
Globally, European nations continue to dominate the governance space. In the 2025 edition, 13 of the top 20 countries came from Europe. The world’s top 10 performers were Singapore, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, and Luxembourg. Northern Europe performed particularly strongly, with Finland and Sweden both ranking in the top five.
The Asia-Pacific region also showed impressive results, with Singapore, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea maintaining places among the world’s top 20. These results highlight how different regions are making progress in balancing institutional strength with economic competitiveness.
Africa, while still facing governance challenges, recorded modest improvements between 2024 and 2025. Of the 28 African countries included in the index, representing a population of about 1.16 billion, the continent scored lowest on average. However, its youthful population — with 70% of Sub-Saharan Africans under the age of 30 — presents significant potential for driving governance and development improvements in the coming years.
Mauritius retained its position as Africa’s best-governed nation for the fifth consecutive year. Despite this consistency, its global ranking has slipped over time, moving from 36th in 2021 to 51st in 2025. Nevertheless, Mauritius remains the leading standard-bearer for governance on the continent.
Rwanda and Tanzania stood out as the only African nations to improve their positions since 2021. Rwanda, now ranked second in Africa, has gained international recognition for institutional reforms. Tanzania, meanwhile, has steadily improved its governance metrics, reflecting efforts to strengthen transparency and accountability.
Other countries, however, recorded declines over the same period, largely due to the impact of the pandemic between 2021 and 2023. Despite these challenges, Africa’s overall governance scores began to recover between 2024 and 2025, suggesting a gradual return to pre-pandemic trajectories.
The rankings underscore the diversity of governance performance across Africa, highlighting both persistent challenges and emerging success stories. As Pulse Ghana reported, the top 10 African nations in the 2025 CGGI rankings reflect progress in leadership, institutional resilience, and accountability — critical pillars for building stronger democracies.
Top 10 African Countries with the Best Government (2025 Rankings)
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Mauritius – Global rank: 51 | CGGI score: 0.553
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Rwanda – Global rank: 59 | CGGI score: 0.507
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Botswana – Global rank: 61 | CGGI score: 0.501
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Morocco – Global rank: 75 | CGGI score: 0.466
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South Africa – Global rank: 77 | CGGI score: 0.461
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Tanzania – Global rank: 78 | CGGI score: 0.457
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Egypt – Global rank: 81 | CGGI score: 0.44
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Senegal – Global rank: 83 | CGGI score: 0.43
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Ghana – Global rank: 86 | CGGI score: 0.43
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Namibia – Global rank: 90 | CGGI score: 0.415
Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.
