A new ECA report concludes that overall governance is improving in Africa but stresses that major challenges still remain.
The African Governance Report (AGR), launched this week, is the culmination of a three-year survey of experts and households in 27 African countries aimed at gauging citizens? perception of the state of governance in each country. Although there have been some significant political events since the data were collected between 2001 and 2004, there have been no major changes in the perception of governance trends, especially at the household level.
The research has shown significant improvements in political governance indicators, especially if compared to a decade ago. Many African countries now have multiparty regimes, with varying levels of stability, acceptance and legitimacy. Political systems, political party freedom, security and power distribution are the indicators that scored the highest, with percentages above 60%, while decentralization, tax system efficiency and corruption scored the lowest.
However, there is still much room for improvement. People?s rights continue to be violated, opposition parties lack access to resources and security, and electoral commissions are not well resourced and lack full independence.
On economic management and corporate governance, progress has been registered in public financial management and accountability thanks to an overall stronger commitment to medium term expenditure frameworks, among other issues. However, tax evasion, corruption and lack of transparency pose serious challenges. For instance, in 18 countries, more than half the experts surveyed indicated that tax evasion is mostly or always affected by corruption. On a positive side, private and public partnerships are growing, allowing for stronger efficiency and transparency in the delivery of public services.
In terms of institutional effectiveness and accountability, the report notes there has been a decline in the historical dominance of the executive in many countries although there is still room for better checks and balances. Corruption continues to hinder executive effectiveness, as shown in the results of the household surveys. Only a third of the respondents believe that the government can deal effectively with the problems they face. And despite some improvements, service delivery remains poor and a stronger response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic is needed. One of the key improvements in accountability is the growing number of privately owned media in many countries.
But challenges remain such as strengthening judicial systems, boosting the effectiveness of the civil service and better integration of traditional institutions into the governance system.
The report reveals overall considerable country variations in governance. While some, such as Namibia, South Africa and Ghana, scored consistently better than the sample average, others - such as Kenya and Chad - scored worse and below average in most areas.
The AGR concludes that there is a pressing need for developing a strong and comprehensive capacity building agenda, focusing on strengthening parliaments and other government institutions, tapping the potential of information technology, promoting responsible media, and confronting the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on governance, among others.
The second edition (AGR II) will be published in 2007 and will include updated information on the countries surveyed in this report. Furthermore 12 new countries will be surveyed.
