Nigeria’s governance ranking has taken a hit, placing 116th out of 120 countries in the 2025 Good Governance Index report conducted by the Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI).
CGGI, a global organisation that evaluates the good governance index, also reported that Nigeria is missing from Africa’s top five performers.
The CGGI, now in its fifth year, evaluates 120 countries across seven pillars: leadership and foresight, robust laws and policies, strong institutions, financial stewardship, attractive marketplace, global influence and reputation, and helping people rise.
In the report, the CGGI revealed that Nigeria’s good governance index is due to struggles in financial stewardship, where fiscal challenges and debt burdens hinder progress.
A breakdown of the report showed that Nigeria is ranked 110th in Leadership and Foresight, 112th in Robust Laws and Policies, 114th in Strong Institutions, 89th in Financial Stewardship, 114th in Attractive Marketplace, 112th in Global Influence and Reputation, and 120th in Helping People Rise.
“Countries in Africa have seen mixed performance across the CGGI pillars. The region’s average score for Strong Institutions has improved, while those for Financial Stewardship, Global Influence & Reputation, and Helping People Rise, have declined, with the remaining two pillars recording flat performance. Of most concern is Financial Stewardship, which has experienced the most sustained decline, as fiscal envelopes tighten and government debt burdens bite across the region,” the report added.
Also, in the 2025 good governance index report, CGGI ranked African countries such as, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
In Africa, Mauritius ranked as the country with the best good governance index in 2025, ranking 51st, while Rwanda ranked second sitting in the 59th position.
Botswana, Morocco, and South Africa emerged as the top five performers, reflecting their relatively stronger governance frameworks and institutional resilience.
