A recently released report, the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), has indicated that good governance is in threatening decline in Nigeria and other African countries. 

The report shows that overall governance in Nigeria faces an increasing decline of 0.15 per cent, faster than 0.06 in 2012. Security and adherence to the rule of law have also decreased by 0.20 since 2017, faster than 2012’s 0.14. Citizen participation, respect for rights, and general inclusion are also increasingly deteriorating by 1.90 per cent, faster than 2012’s 0.81 per cent. 

Public perception of good governance also faces significant deterioration by 1.83 per cent in 2017 compared to 0.23 per cent in 2012. 

Key indices show that general good governance is in severe decline under President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime, which came into office in 2015 on the promise of fighting corruption and insecurity, promoting inclusion and driving significant economic growth. 

The IIAG is a report by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, a pro-African organisation that provides data and analysis to support evidence-based policymaking and government assessment across the continent. 

The report said several factors influenced the poor rating of good governance, including the rather slow recovery from the COVID-19 economic downturn, climate change, insecurity, food and energy insufficiency, conflicts and coups and a general “democratic backsliding.”

“The 2022 IIAG results show that even though the average continental level of Overall governance is better in 2021 than in 2012 (+1.1), progress has flatlined since 2019,” the report noted. “Driving this stagnation is the deterioration of both the Security & Rule of Law and Participation, Rights & Inclusion index categories, due to an increase in armed conflicts, violence against civilians, and democratic backsliding across growing parts of the continent.” 

According to the publication, Africa is uniquely exposed to the converging impacts of climate change, more recently COVID-19, and now the indirect impact of the Russia-Ukraine war. 

It urged governments to address “all at once the ongoing lack of prospects for our growing youth, worsening food insecurity, lack of access to energy for almost half the continent’s population, heavier debt burden, growing domestic unrest,” worried that coups are back, “and democratic backsliding is spreading.”

The 2022 IIAG conclusively demonstrates that diverging trajectories are impeding the advancement of governance, as improvements in human development and the ‘Foundations for Economic Opportunity’ are offset by declines in security and the rule of law and participation, rights and inclusion, which impede overall governance.