Mo Ibrahim report ranks Nigeria among Africa’s worst governed countries in 2024

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The 2024 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) has ranked Nigeria among the worst-governed countries in Africa.

The report by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation said Nigeria slipped three places and ranked 33rd out of 54 African nations.

The report showed a deterioration in governance over the past decade in Nigeria and as one of the 11 African countries with the worst governance decline since 2014.

The IIAG, published since 2007, provides a comprehensive assessment of governance across the African continent.

It also evaluates countries on parameters such as security, rule of law, economic opportunities, human development, and participation in democratic processes.

Indeed, the data is collected from 49 independent sources to gauge how well African countries have managed governance over the years.

Indeed, the 2024 report highlighted significant governance failures in Nigeria, scoring her poorly on key indicators, such as security and rule of law (39%), accountability and transparency (47.3%), and anti-corruption efforts, where it received a particularly low score of 28.9%.

The report also rated Nigeria poorly on performance on social protection, inclusion, equality, and infrastructure remained low.

Similarly, the report showed that governance crisis in Africa is a continental trend, as security challenges and shrinking democratic spaces hampered progress.

According to Mo Ibrahim, the foundation’s chair, the governance backslide in countries like Nigeria threatens the economic and social development gains made in recent years.

He said while the challenges are global, they are especially problematic for Africa, where long-standing developmental issues are exacerbated by these governance failures.

However, the report highlighted successes across the continent, including Seychelles, Gambia, and Sierra Leone, which showed improvement in governance.

For example, Seychelles overtook Mauritius as the best-governed African nation, showcasing that progress is possible even amid broader continental challenges.

However, the report ranked as poorly governed along with Nigeria, Sudan, Mozambique, and Senegal.