A report published on September 30, 2026, by the World Bank titled Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) in Africa 2026 evaluates the quality of national political and institutional reforms in Sub-Saharan African countries that receive aid from the International Development Association (IDA), which is the World Bank's aid arm for the world's poorest countries. The assessment uses 16 criteria, including fiscal policy, monetary policy, financial sector regulations, social protection, equity in public resource use, property rights, and transparency and corruption in the public sector. These indicators are grouped into four categories: "economic management," "structural policies," "social inclusion and equity policies," and "public sector management and institutions." Each country receives a score from 1 to 6 for each of the 16 criteria, and the overall score is the average of the four categories. Rwanda achieved the highest overall score of 4.2 points, with particularly strong performance in "social inclusion and equity policies" (4.5 points) and "structural policies" (4.3 points). Côte d'Ivoire ranked second with an overall score of 4 points, while Benin and Cape Verde tied for third with 3.9 points each. Kenya and Togo followed with 3.8 points each. The average score for Sub-Saharan Africa was 3.1 points, slightly exceeding the IDA average for the first time. The report noted that 13 countries improved their scores compared to the previous year, while 10 saw declines. Generally, the best-ranked countries experienced more score increases, while the lowest-ranked countries saw more deteriorations. Economic management remained the region's strongest area, supported by progress in inflation control, budget management, and debt monitoring. Structural policies remained stable, while social inclusion and equity benefited from human development and expanded social protection systems. However, "public sector management and institutions" remained a weakness due to delays in property rights, governance, accountability, and anti-corruption efforts. The ranking also included countries such as Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal, and Uganda tied for 9th place with 3.5 points. Guinea, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gambia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Nigeria, and Zambia were among those with scores ranging from 3.3 to 3.4 points. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Mali had scores of 3.2 points, while Burundi, Eswatini, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe scored 3.1 points. Liberia had a score of 3.0 points, and Chad, Malawi, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe scored 2.9 points. The Republic of Congo scored 2.8 points, and the Comoros and Guinea-Bissau had 2.7 points each. The Central African Republic scored 2.6 points, while Somalia scored 2.2 points. Eritrea and South Sudan, along with Sudan, had the lowest scores at 1.7 and 1.6 points, respectively.