Insights

Rwanda Leads 2024 World Bank Rankings on Policy and Governance in Africa

Rwanda Leads 2024 World Bank Rankings on Policy and Governance in Africa
Wednesday, 16 July 2025 10:19
  • Rwanda tops 40 Sub-Saharan African countries in policy and institutional quality
  • Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, and Kenya follow with strong performance
  •  Infrastructure, public services, and governance gaps remain across the region

Rwanda has been ranked as the top-performing country in Sub-Saharan Africa for the quality of its public policies and institutions in 2024. The finding comes from the World Bank’s latest Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) report, published on July 10

The CPIA measures how well countries receiving aid from the International Development Association (IDA) are managing their policies and institutions. The IDA is the World Bank’s arm that supports the world’s poorest countries. The assessment uses 16 indicators grouped into four main areas: economic management, structural policies, social inclusion and equity, and public sector management and institutions.

Each area is rated on a scale from 1 to 6, with 6 being the best possible score. The final CPIA score is the average of the four category scores.

Rwanda came out on top with a score of 4.2, thanks to strong results in social inclusion and equity (4.4) and structural policies (4.3). This performance is far above the Sub-Saharan Africa average of 3.1 and also higher than the average across all IDA-eligible countries worldwide.

Benin ranked second with 3.9 points, tied with Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, and Kenya. They were followed by Togo (3.8), and Senegal, Mauritania, and Tanzania, each with 3.6. Uganda completed the top ten with 3.5.

The report also noted that the overall CPIA average for Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024 remained steady at 3.1, the same as in 2023. Nine countries saw their scores fall, while ten improved. The region showed mixed results, with top-performing countries seeing modest gains and several low-rated countries slipping further behind.

Improvements in fiscal policy, but structural gaps remain

After several years of steady improvement, Sub-Saharan Africa’s average CPIA score is now on par with the global average for IDA countries.

The region outperformed other IDA borrowers in areas such as monetary and exchange rate policies, fiscal discipline, the business regulatory environment, social protection, environmental sustainability, and public sector management.

However, it continued to fall short in key areas like property rights, rule-based governance, and efforts to improve transparency, accountability, and fight corruption in the public sector.

Governments in the region have made efforts to control public spending. Many took steps to reduce high wage bills, cut tax exemptions, and limit fuel subsidies. Some also made progress in debt management. Out of the 40 countries assessed, 26 lowered their debt-to-GDP ratios compared to 2022. Many countries focused on securing concessional loans to help reduce the cost of debt servicing.

Still, serious challenges remain. Transport infrastructure continues to lag, slowing economic activity and worsening quality of life. Many people still lack access to sanitation systems and other basic public infrastructure, deepening poverty in many areas. Education and healthcare systems remain weak, holding back human development and limiting income potential.

Security is also a growing concern. The number of deaths from armed conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa nearly tripled between 2014 and 2024. Public administrative services, especially those needed for a strong business environment, remain poor. Many countries still struggle with business registration, access to credit, and other basic services for the private sector.

On the same topic
On August 31, 2025, the ruling coalition in Benin Republic—comprising the Union Progressiste pour le Renouveau (UPR) and the Bloc Républicain...
Suzuki seks to boost African sales by leveraging its India hub and a new pact with MOL and TradeWaltz on greener logistics. Suzuki sold 109,000...
Southern Africa's critical minerals are vital but underused due to systemic issues, per the WEF, DBSA, and McKinsey report. Policy uncertainty, poor...
Burkina Faso and Oman have signed a landmark investment agreement focusing on strategic sectors: mining, agriculture, and energy. The partnership,...
Most Read
01

It’s a common scene in any Lomé (Togo) market, but it’s telling. A customer hands a 10,000 CFA franc...

The Change Shortage: A Crisis Hidden by the CFA Franc’s Stability
02

Egypt’s handset market is projected to leap from $2.5 billion in 2025 to $4.8 billion by...

Egypt’s $2.5B-to-$4.8B Smartphone Surge Set to Reshape Africa’s Tech Map by 2031
03

Burkina Faso ends Target Malaria, a GMO mosquito project funded by the Gates Foundation. The ...

Burkina Faso Halts a Malaria Program Backed by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
04

Egypt and UNECA launched a five-day workshop in Cairo to strengthen maritime tax audits and IFRS-b...

Egypt Bolsters Maritime Tax Collection With UN Economic Commission Training
05

Sadot and Vodacom’s MOTI launch Africa’s first telco-powered farm-to-fork app to cut crop losses a...

Sadot, Vodacom-Backed MOTI Launch Africa’s First Telco-Powered Farm-to-Fork App  
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

regie@agenceecofin.com 
Tél: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72


EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.