Ghana improves governance score in 2026 Chandler Index

Ghana has improved its overall governance score in the 2026 Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI), ranking 92nd out of 133 countries and ninth in Africa.

The improvement was driven by stronger performance in Financial Stewardship and Helping People Rise, although the country recorded declines in Leadership and Foresight and Attractive Marketplace.

The 2026 CGGI, released by the Chandler Governance Group (CGG), indicated that Ghana’s improved performance was supported by gains in public financial management and outcomes for citizens.

According to the report, Ghana’s Financial Stewardship score, which assesses how effectively governments manage public finances and maintain fiscal sustainability, almost doubled during the year after declining between 2021 and 2024.

Its Helping People Rise score, which measures government performance in improving citizens’ lives, also increased for the second consecutive year, reflecting progress in areas such as education and healthcare.

The report stated that the gains were sufficient to raise Ghana’s overall governance score despite declines in Leadership and Foresight and Attractive Marketplace, both during the year and since 2021.

Ghana’s performance came amid broader improvements across Africa, with the index indicating that 71 per cent of African countries assessed in both 2025 and 2026 recorded higher overall scores.

The Director of Knowledge at the Chandler Governance Group, Dinesh Naidu, said Africa’s strongest gains during the year were in Financial Stewardship, followed by Helping People Rise.

He explained that the improvements suggested that stronger government capabilities were beginning to translate into tangible benefits for citizens, including better access to quality education and healthcare, while stressing the need to sustain the progress.

The report indicated that Africa remained the lowest-scoring region, with its average governance score below the 2021 level and 23 of the 35 countries assessed ranking outside the global top 100, while none made the top 50.

The index also expanded its coverage from 120 countries in 2025 to 133 in 2026, with Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Guinea, Lesotho, Liberia and Togo joining the assessment.

Globally, 61 per cent of the 120 countries assessed in both 2025 and 2026 recorded higher scores, the highest annual proportion of countries registering improvements since the index was launched in 2021.

However, the report showed that longer-term progress remained uneven, with only 43 per cent of the 104 countries tracked since 2021 recording an overall improvement.

Mr Naidu said rankings provided a useful starting point for assessing governance, but the broader value of the index lay in helping governments identify areas of progress and those requiring further attention.

He emphasised that sustained improvements depended on governments’ ability to strengthen institutions, manage resources responsibly and translate policies into meaningful outcomes for citizens.

The Chandler Good Government Index, now in its sixth edition, assesses government capabilities and effectiveness through 35 equally weighted indicators across seven pillars.

According to the Chandler Governance Group, the index is designed to help governments benchmark their performance, identify gaps, track progress over time and learn from the experiences of other countries.

BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG

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