A new report from the Mo Ibrahim Foundation has highlighted significant concerns about Sierra Leone’s public administration, citing a steady decline in performance from 2019 to 2023.

Published as part of the 2024 Ibrahim Index of African Governance, the report warns that while Sierra Leone’s public administration score in 2023 remains comparable to 2014, it has shown a marked decrease over the last five years, with crucial indicators like budgetary management and public access to identity documentation declining.

According to the report, Sierra Leone’s decline in public administration reflects a worrying trend across certain African countries. The country’s deteriorating scores stem from multiple metrics within the sector, including civil registration, statistical capacity, effective administration, tax and revenue mobilization, and public perception of accessibility to identity documents. This decline has become particularly pronounced in budgetary and financial management and in public satisfaction with identity document access, with these sub-sectors dropping by -6.4 and -5.2 points, respectively.

Across Africa, the report found that improvements in public administration have been modest, with an overall continental increase of just +0.5 points over the last decade. These limited gains are overshadowed by contrasting trends within the continent. While 43.8% of Africa’s population, spanning 28 countries, have experienced improvements, progress in public administration has slowed for a fifth of the population, affecting residents in 12 countries, including Sierra Leone.

One of the most concerning findings relates to fiscal governance indicators. Effective administration saw moderate improvement, with a +5.0-point increase, and civil registration rose by +1.4 points, reflecting slight progress in these areas. However, fiscal measures showed a significant decline. Tax and revenue mobilization fell by -1.8 points, and budgetary and financial management dropped by -6.4 points across the continent, underscoring the strain on public financial systems.

The report emphasizes that despite advancements in related metrics, access to identity documents remains a widespread challenge. The public perception of ease of obtaining identity documents declined across Africa by -5.2 points, signaling broad-based discontent and practical hurdles.

The Ibrahim Foundation underscored that for sustainable governance improvements, countries like Sierra Leone need to address critical issues in public administration, particularly around fiscal discipline and citizen access to essential documentation.