Mo Ibrahim Index shows slight improvement against corruption in Africa

The latest Ibrahim Index of African Governance indicates a broadly mixed picture on the campaign against corruption on the continent.

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s 2026 Ibrahim Index of African Governance data brief on anti-corruption shows that Africa’s average anti-corruption score rose slightly from 38.6 in 2016 to 39.1 in 2025. The data shows an initial continental decline until 2020, followed by a sustained recovery.

The Foundation examines African countries’ anti-corruption mechanisms, the state of affairs in the public and private sectors, public procurement procedures, public perception, and so on.

The index states that following a sharp decline between 2018 and 2020, the fight against corruption on the continent has been gradually improving since 2020.

The Foundation notes, however, that whilst the fight against corruption has improved for 40.2% of the population (26 countries), it has deteriorated for nearly 58.8 % of Africans (28 countries) since 2016. Progress is particularly noticeable in the Seychelles, whilst corruption is gaining ground in the Comoros.

Nevertheless, most African countries are showing varying degrees of progress; in some of them, which account for one-fifth of the African population, progress is increasing.

Meanwhile, twelve countries – accounting for 11.5 % – are showing ‘warning signs’: their scores are better than in 2016 but have been deteriorating since 2021. And 14 countries are ‘rebounding’: whilst their performance appears to have declined over the past 10 years, their situation has been improving since 2021.

Rwanda has remained at the top of the anti-corruption rankings since 2016, followed by the Seychelles thanks to its recent progress. Next come three French-speaking countries: Mauritius, Senegal and Benin. Of note are Cape Verde in 8th place, Tunisia in 9th and Burkina Faso in 10th, although the latter’s score and ranking (down four places) have nevertheless declined over the past ten years. It comes as little surprise to find South Sudan at the bottom of the table.

The countries that have shown the greatest improvements over the past decade are, after the Seychelles, Angola, Chad, Somalia and Togo. The latter is ranked 17th in the list.

Conversely, the countries showing the greatest ‘deterioration’ are the Comoros, Liberia, South Africa, Niger and Botswana. It is worth noting, however, that Botswana is still ranked sixth in Africa, whilst South Africa is in 15th place. Niger (29th) therefore finds itself in the middle of the table.

Mixed results in the Sahel

By region, the Foundation notes that North Africa has, overall, shown the greatest improvements, whilst the IGAD region (Djibouti, Kenya, etc.) has recorded the most disappointing results. The AMU (Arab Maghreb Union) region is the only one in which all five member states have made progress over the past 10 years.

Among the indicators, the preliminary report continues, the most significant progress has been recorded in the area of private-sector corruption. It is worth noting that the ‘absence of corruption in the public sector’ indicator, which had improved up to 2023, declined significantly over the following two years, returning to its 2016 level.

The greatest progress was recorded by the Seychelles in the followed by Tunisia in ‘Public procurement procedures’. The Foundation notes Chad’s progress in two areas: ‘Absence of corruption in the private sector’ and ‘Public procurement procedures’.

The report highlights that countries which have experienced coups d’état in recent years, particularly those in the Sahel, have seen their situation deteriorate. Progress in the fight against corruption has been less favourable since the coups, with the narrow exception of Niger, and particularly in Burkina Faso and Mali.

In these countries, public perception of the fight against corruption has improved dramatically. This perception among the Malian population is largely confirmed by other indicators such as ‘public procurement procedures’, for example.

For their part, the people of Burkina Faso appear more wary, as the corruption ‘perception’ index has hardly changed since the 2022 coup, despite improvements in analytical indicators relating to corruption within institutions and anti-corruption mechanisms.

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