Zambia among Africa's 10 most improved in governance

By BUUMBA CHIMBULU ZAMBIA has emerged among the 10 most improved countries in Africa in governance performance, climbing six places to rank 15th out of 54 countries, according to the 2026 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG).The country scored 58.4 points out of 100, representing a 5.1-point improvement since 2016, with progress accelerating from 2021, when its governance score increased by 6.4 points.The latest index, launched by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation on October 31, 2026, assesses governance performance across 54 African countries over a 10-year period from 2016 to 2025."Zambia has recorded notable improvements in citizen participation, rights and civil liberties, placing it among the countries making significant progress in governance on the continent," according to the report.Zambia recorded the largest improvement in Africa in the Participation category, gaining 15.5 points since 2016, with much of the progress recorded following the August 2021 general election.The country also improved its score in the Rights category by 9.5 points and climbed from 29th to 10th position in Africa in the Absence of Civil Society Repression indicator.In addition, Zambia ranked first on the continent in Rights and Civil Liberties for Women, reflecting improvements in the country's performance on women's rights.The report also highlights progress in economic opportunities and access to services, with Zambia recording Africa's largest improvement in Rural Market Access, gaining 45.3 points."Access to mobile money accounts also increased significantly, improving by 47.5 points over the assessment period," the report stated.However, the improvements in governance and economic access have been accompanied by challenges in infrastructure satisfaction.The index shows that citizens' satisfaction with infrastructure declined by 30.4 points, highlighting concerns about the quality and accessibility of infrastructure despite progress in other areas.The findings present a mixed picture of the country's governance performance, with improvements in participation, civil liberties and economic access contrasting with declining public satisfaction with infrastructure.Overall, the country's movement from 21st position in 2016 to 15th in 2025 places it among the continent's better-performing countries in governance improvement over the past decade.

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