• 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.