A Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST) study has found that Africa’s progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) depends less on the existence of governance structures and more on how effectively governance systems function in practice.
The study, published in the Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, analysed data from 46 African countries between 2015 and 2022 and challenges the long-held assumption that stronger institutions automatically produce better development outcomes.
Instead, the researchers found that the relationship between governance and SDG performance is conditional, goal-specific and shaped by regional realities, with outcomes depending heavily on coordination capacity, policy integration and collaboration among governments, communities, businesses and development partners.
According to the findings, Africa is making uneven progress across the SDGs. The continent has recorded comparatively stronger performance in climate action, environmental sustainability and global partnerships, while progress in poverty reduction, health, education and inequality remains weak and inconsistent.
The study found that governance systems tend to produce stronger SDG gains in sectors that require high levels of coordination, including quality education (SDG 4), gender equality (SDG 5), climate action (SDG 13) and partnerships for development (SDG 17).
“These are areas where success depends on how well governments work across ministries, engage local authorities, and collaborate with communities, businesses, and international partners,” the study explained.
In contrast, persistent underperformance in poverty, health and inequality reflects what the researchers describe as a “governance-delivery gap”, where policies and institutional frameworks may exist, but implementation breaks down because of fragmented service delivery systems and weak frontline coordination.
A major finding of the study is that high governance scores do not necessarily translate into strong development outcomes. In some parts of Central Africa, relatively strong governance indicators coexist with low SDG performance, revealing what the researchers describe as a disconnect between formal institutional quality and actual implementation capacity.
The study argues that governance reforms on paper are insufficient without functional coordination systems, institutional trust and effective delivery mechanisms.
Regional analysis further revealed that North and Southern Africa demonstrate relatively more consistent SDG progress due to stronger coordination capacity and more integrated governance systems. West and Central Africa, however, continue to lag on several social development indicators despite economic growth and rising investment inflows.
For Ghana and other West African countries, the study highlights the need to complement transparency and democratic governance reforms with stronger coordination across ministries, local governments and non-state actors.
The researchers identified education reform, gender inclusion and climate resilience as high-impact areas where strengthened governance networks could accelerate SDG progress.
However, the study cautioned that increased public spending and foreign investment alone would not close development gaps unless governance systems are able to effectively coordinate resources and translate them into measurable outcomes.
As Africa enters the final stretch toward the 2030 SDG deadline, the authors called for a shift from broad governance reforms to fit-for-purpose collaborative governance systems capable of delivering results in coordination-intensive sectors.
The study was authored by Prince Gyimah of the University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Kumasi, Ghana, and Professor Kingsley Opoku Appiah of the KNUST School of Business.
