New African governance index puts Nigeria among countries that declined over a decade

Nigeria is among the African countries whose overall governance score fell between 2016 and 2025, according to the newly released 2026 Ibrahim Index of African Governance. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation lists Nigeria in joint 38th place with Madagascar in the latest-year ranking. The findings concern a ten-year dataset, not a measurement of events occurring this week.

Across the continent, the picture is mixed. Thirty countries improved their overall score over the decade, 23 deteriorated and one was unchanged. The African average rose from 49.3 to 50.1 out of 100. Gains in economic opportunity and human development outweighed declines in security, rights and participation in that combined measure. A modest continental gain therefore does not mean every country, or every area of government, improved.

The foundation classifies Nigeria’s trend as slowing deterioration. Its explanation is precise: the score is lower in 2025 than in 2016, but the rate of decline has slowed since 2021. That description should not be shortened to either a recovery or an accelerating collapse. Nor does a national ranking show how every Nigerian state or community performed.

The index assesses 54 countries through four broad categories covering security and the rule of law; participation, rights and inclusion; economic opportunity; and human development. The foundation’s methodology combines indicators and publishes both scores and trends. Its portal advises users to compare results within the latest dataset, because revisions are applied across the years being assessed.

In an AFP interview reported by Africanews on 1 November, founder Mo Ibrahim argued that the international rise of strongman politics was encouraging African leaders to weaken rights. That is his interpretation of the political environment, rather than a causal conclusion established by a country’s numerical score. This report does not repeat unverified allegations about particular incidents or infer that Nigeria experienced a recent military coup.

What it means for you: the useful question is which public service or right lies behind a headline ranking. Nigerian readers can use the index’s separate measures to frame questions about access to education, healthcare, security and accountable government. A broad score is a starting point for scrutiny, not proof that a particular local school, hospital or official has improved or failed.