Rwanda Tops 40 African Countries in World Bank Governance and Development Policy Assessment
Rwanda has emerged as the best-performing country among 40 Sub-Saharan African nations assessed by the World Bank for the quality of policies and institutions underpinning economic management, inclusive development and social welfare, scoring 4.2 out of six points in its latest Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) report.
The ranking highlights Rwanda’s continued commitment to strengthening economic governance, promoting social inclusion and implementing policies designed to improve living standards, while positioning the country favourably for concessional financing and development support.
The World Bank’s CPIA evaluates countries across four key areas: economic management, structural policies, policies for social inclusion and equity, and public sector management and institutions.
Rwanda maintained its overall score of 4.2 recorded in 2024, demonstrating consistency in its policy and institutional performance. Its score is 1.1 points above the International Development Association’s (IDA) threshold of 3.1, a benchmark used in assessing countries’ eligibility for concessional financing and development assistance.
IDA is the World Bank institution that provides low-interest loans and grants to the world’s poorest countries to support development programmes and poverty reduction.
Among the four assessment categories, Rwanda recorded its strongest performance in policies for social inclusion and equity, scoring 4.5 points. The result reflects the country’s policy framework aimed at ensuring that development opportunities reach different segments of society and that citizens have more equitable access to social and economic opportunities.
The report also highlights progress in establishing policies and programmes intended to combat poverty and promote inclusive development. Such efforts are central to ensuring that economic progress translates into tangible improvements in people’s livelihoods.
Rwanda’s overall score of 4.2 also underscores the importance of maintaining sound policies and effective institutions to ensure that loans and grants from international financial institutions are managed efficiently and directed towards development priorities.
However, despite its strong overall performance, the assessment identifies public sector management and institutions as an area requiring further improvement.
Rwanda scored 3.9 in this category, its lowest result across the four assessment areas. The finding points to the need for continued institutional reforms to strengthen public administration, improve implementation of government policies and ensure that public institutions deliver more effective and measurable results.
Improving institutional efficiency will be important in translating policy commitments into practical outcomes, while strengthening accountability and ensuring that public resources are used effectively.
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