Mauritius has been ranked the best-governed country in Africa in the 2025 Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI), maintaining its top spot for the fifth consecutive year. Rwanda and Botswana followed in second and third place, respectively.
The ranking was announced by Dinesh Naidu, Director (Knowledge) at the Chandler Institute of Governance, during the regional launch of the Index in Pretoria, South Africa.
Now in its fifth year, the CGGI is one of the most comprehensive global measures of government capability and effectiveness, assessing 120 countries across seven pillars, including leadership, institutions, financial stewardship, and service delivery.
According to Naidu, Africa’s overall performance remains the lowest globally, but notable progress has been recorded in some countries.
“Even in a challenging global environment, high-performance African countries are making governance advances that can inspire peers across the continent,” he said.
In the 2025 rankings, Mauritius (51), Rwanda (59), Botswana (61), Morocco (75), and South Africa (77) emerged as Africa’s top five performers. While Mauritius retained its continental lead, Rwanda was recognized as the world’s best-performing low-income country, showing that national wealth is not a prerequisite for effective governance.
Botswana was praised for recent judicial digitalisation reforms, Morocco for improvements in data transparency and digital infrastructure, while South Africa remains a continental reference point for institutional capacity despite fiscal pressures.
Naidu also highlighted Tanzania’s remarkable progress, moving from 82nd to 78th globally since the index was first published in 2021.
“Tanzania’s Digital Governance Project and reforms such as the Data Protection Act are laying the groundwork for technology-driven governance solutions,” he noted.
Despite the gains, fiscal management remains a major challenge for many African governments, with debt burdens weighing heavily on development efforts. However, Naidu stressed that Africa’s youthful population presents opportunities if governments can deliver jobs, education, and inclusive growth.
“Good government is built over decades, but every step forward matters,” he said. “What is encouraging is the progress in areas such as strong institutions and digital governance. These reforms show that even in a tough global environment, progress is possible.”
The CGGI, he added, serves as a practical benchmark for governments to track progress, strengthen institutions, and improve service delivery.
