Afrobarometer’s inaugural flagship report (https://apo-opa.co/3WdqIHG) shows that Africans remain strongly committed to democracy, its norms, and institutions, but there are also causes for concern. Over the past decade, popular support for democracy has declined sharply in several countries, and opposition to military rule has weakened. Meanwhile, satisfaction with the way democracy works has continued to decline.

While popular satisfaction with democracy is highly susceptible to economic, social, and political performance, support for democracy is resilient against economic factors such as poverty and poor economic management. Instead, the evidence points to political factors, including rising corruption in local government, poor-quality elections, and a lack of presidential accountability, as factors that tend to undermine popular faith in democracy.

Nurturing support for democracy will therefore require strengthening integrity in local government and improved official accountability.

The report, the first in what will be an annual series on high-priority topics, distils findings from data spanning more than a decade, including the latest round of nationally representative surveys in 39 African countries, representing the views of more than three-fourths of the continent’s population. The full report can be found here (https://apo-opa.co/3WdqIHG).

The findings, based on 53,444 face-to-face interviews, show that most Africans prefer democracy to any other system of government and reject non-democratic alternatives, including military rule. They also strongly endorse norms, institutions, and practices associated with democratic governance, such as choosing political leaders through the ballot box, constitutional limits on presidential tenure, presidential compliance with court rulings, parliamentary oversight of the executive, media freedom, and multiparty competition.

Remarkably for a continent with huge gaps in government services, a clear – and growing – majority say it is more important for a government to be accountable to the people than to “get things done.”

But other trends portend danger for the continent’s democratic development. Opposition to military rule has weakened: More than half of Africans express a willingness to tolerate military intervention “when elected leaders abuse power for their own ends,” even though two-thirds reject institutionalised military rule. While Africa’s youth differ little from their elders in their support for democracy, they express a greater willingness to tolerate military intervention.

Worryingly, perceptions of important democratic governance practices have either been declining over time, as in the case of presidential respect for the courts and Parliament, or have remained stagnant at very low levels, as in the case of equal treatment before the law.

The report also includes country democracy scorecards (https://apo-opa.co/3y4S0rC) that present graphic illustrations of Afrobarometer findings on the most critical indicators of democratic demand and supply for each of the countries surveyed.

Afrobarometer survey

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Nine survey rounds in up to 42 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 9 surveys (2021/2023) cover 39 countries.

Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice. National samples of 1,200-2,400 yield country-level results with margins of error of +/-2 to +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

Key findings

Support for democracy

On average across 39 countries, support for democracy remains robust: Two-thirds (66%) of Africans say they prefer democracy to any other system of government, and large majorities reject one-man rule (80%), one-party rule (78%), and military rule (66%) (Figure 1).
But across 30 countries surveyed consistently over the past decade, support for democracy has declined by 7 percentage points, including by 29 points in South Africa and 23 points in Mali (Figure 2).
Opposition to military rule has weakened by 11 points across 30 countries, most dramatically in Mali and Burkina Faso (by 40 and 37 points, respectively) (Figure 3).
More than half of Africans (53% across 39 countries) are willing to accept a military takeover if elected leaders “abuse power for their own ends.”
Growing majorities call for government accountability and the rule of law, and support for other democratic norms has held steady over the past decade, including presidential accountability to Parliament, multiparty competition, presidential term limits, and media freedom.
But support for elections has dropped by 8 percentage points across 30 countries, though a large majority still consider it the best method for choosing their leaders.

Supply of democracy

Fewer than half (45%) of Africans in the 39 countries surveyed think their countries are mostly or completely democratic, and only 37% say they are satisfied with the way democracy works in their countries.
Across 30 countries, both indicators show declines – of 8 and 11 percentage points, respectively – over the past decade (Figure 4).
Other indicators of democratic supply, including citizen assessments of the quality of elections (-7 points) and their president’s accountability to Parliament (-7 points) and the courts (-6 points), also show modest declines.
Satisfaction with democracy has dropped precipitously in some of Africa’s most high-profile democracies, including Botswana (-40 points), Mauritius (-40 points), and South Africa (-35 points) (Figure 5).

Drivers of democratic attitudes

Support for democracy as a system of government is resilient to economic and social deficiencies (Figure 6).
Where we see declines in support for democracy, they are most closely linked to adverse changes in political performance, such as declining election quality, increasing levels of corruption, and failure to promote the rule of law.
Deepening citizen dissatisfaction with how democracy is performing is strongly associated with perceived declines in both socioeconomic and political performance (Figure 7).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afrobarometer.

Download more images: https://apo-opa.co/3SaOKSk

For more information, please contact:
Josephine Appiah-Nyamekye Sanny
Acting Director of Communications
Email: jappiah@afrobarometer.org
Telephone: +233 243240933
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The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has approved a ZAR 18.85 billion ($1 billion) corporate loan to Transnet, South Africa’s major freight transport and logistics company, for its recovery and growth plans.

The 25-year loan approved by the Bank Group’s Board of Directors on Friday, 12 July 2024, is fully guaranteed by the government of South Africa. It will facilitate the first phase of the company’s ZAR 152.8 billion ($8.1 billion) five-year capital investment plan to improve its existing capacity ahead of expansion for the priority segments throughout the transport value chain.

Transnet has faced operational challenges mainly in the critical rail and port businesses resulting from underinvestment in infrastructure and equipment, theft and vandalism, and external shocks such as floods and the effects of the COVID19 pandemic.

The company is committed to addressing past challenges, fostering integrity, and enhancing efficiency within the organization. It has made progress in some key areas including reforms in governance procurement and financial management.

The recovery plan, launched in October 2023, seeks to rehabilitate the infrastructure and accelerate the relaunch of operations over 18 months, focusing on restoring operational performance and freight volumes to meet customer demands.

Following the approval, African Development Bank’s Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialisation Solomon Quaynor, emphasized the significance of this support: “Transnet, the custodian of South Africa’s critical transport and logistics infrastructure, plays an indispensable role in the economy of the country, ensuring a competitive freight system and serving as a gateway to the SADC region.”

He added: “Our partnership will enable Transnet to execute a comprehensive Recovery Plan (RP), addressing operational inefficiencies, particularly in rail and port sectors. It is aligned with South Africa’s strategic ‘Roadmap for Freight Logistics System,’ and overseen by the National Logistics Crisis Committee, chaired at the Presidency level. This initiative signifies our commitment to enhancing national logistics capabilities and driving sustainable economic growth.”

Transnet has been a client of the African Development Bank since 2010. The company employs more than 50,000 people and plays a critical role in integrating and connecting South Africa with the global economy. The company’s freight system’s activities contribute significantly to South Africa’s economy. Its operations serve as key gateways for trade within South Africa and with landlocked countries in the region, such as Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo through the Port of Durban.

Reacting to the approval, Michelle Phillips, Group Chief Executive of Transnet said: “We appreciate the support demonstrated by the African Development Bank, the loan extended by the bank will make a significant contribution to Transnet’s capital investment plan to stabilise and improve the rail network and to contribute to the broader South African economy. The accompanying grant funding to the loan will also greatly assist Transnet with to its energy efficiency efforts and with Infrastructure Project Preparation initiatives.”

The Board commended the Government of South Africa for its vision and commitment to reforms in Transnet as well as the country’s entire transport and logistics sectors. It also applauded Transnet for progress made in rolling out its compliance and governance improvement programme as well as its decarbonization and energy efficiency plans in line with its Net Zero Emission Strategy and Green Freight Strategy.

In addition to the corporate loan, the African Development Bank is contemplating two targeted grants, including $750,000 in technical support from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) – a multi-donor fund administered by the Bank – to improve energy efficiency and associated measures, in line with Transnet’s net zero plan. The second grant funding comprises $1 million from the Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (IPPF-NEPAD), for technical assistance to help accelerate railway reforms and address structural and regulatory inefficiencies.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Media contacts
African Development Bank:
Romaric Ollo Hien
Communications Department
African Development Bank
media@afdb.org

Transnet:
Ayanda Shezi
GM Group Corporate Affairs
email:  ayanda.shezi@transnet.net/mediadesk@transnet.net. 

About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), and the African Development Bank (AfDB) (www.AfDB.org), presented today the 2024 Africa Sustainable Development Report (ASDR), at an event held on the margins of the UN High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development in New York.

Scaled-up access to concessionary development financing, strengthened climate information and early warning systems, and economic reforms are amongst the key recommendations raised in the new ASDR, titled “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 and Eradicating Poverty in Times of Multiple Crises: The Effective Delivery of Sustainable, Resilient and Innovative Solutions.”

The report provides an in-depth review of African countries progress towards five sustainable development goals and their 32 targets to meet the 2030 Agenda and the African Union 2063 Agenda. The five SDGs under review are: ending poverty (Goal 1); eliminating hunger (Goal 2); combating climate change (Goal 13); promoting peaceful societies (Goal 16) and strengthening global partnerships (Goal 17).

The research shows that Africa is on track to reach only less than three of the 32 targets assessed in this report (ASDR-2024) and that setbacks have been recorded for 8 of them, with slow progress or status quo registered for the remaining targets.

“Advanced economies have rebounded from COVID-19, but many countries in Africa struggle with high debt, double-digit inflation, and limited access to crucial development and climate funding. Disparities in the Human Development Index are widening between top-ranking nations and those at the bottom, highlighting significant challenges across Africa despite some progress in recent decades.]” said Claver Gatete, ECA Executive Secretary.

Indeed, Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Africa increased by two percent in 2023, but the total ODA remains at 0.37 percent of donors’ combined Gross National Income, well below the 0.7 percent target agreed on by UN Member States. Given the short period remaining before the 2030 SDG deadline, most countries may fail to mobilize adequate resources to close their financing gap.

“African countries have made some significant progress in important areas, but we are running out of time,” stressed Matthias Naab, UNDP Africa Deputy Regional Director a.i. “It is imperative we reinforce partnerships and look at innovative solutions to stop the current deceleration – and even reversal in some areas – and work more closely with African countries and people to get back on track towards our Global Goals and the Africa We Want. And this report is key, as it provides a path to this critical acceleration.”

Africa has made strides in poverty reduction (goal 1), despite setbacks from crises like COVID-19, which increased poverty rates significantly, as in 2022, Africa accounted for more than half (54.8 percent) of people living in poverty worldwide. Efforts are underway to enhance social protection systems, which currently cover only 17.4 percent of the population, though still well below the global average. Access to drinking water has increased, on average, from 68.7 percent in 2015 to 72.9 percent, and basic sanitation services now reach 52% of the population, with ongoing efforts to meet global standards.

Efforts to combat hunger, undernourishment, and stunting (goal 2) in Africa are crucial. Despite challenges such as increased hunger affecting 281.6 million people in 2022, up by 11 million compared to 2021, initiatives are underway to address these issues and need urgent support. Measures include improving agricultural investment and aid to enhance food security.

Africa has demonstrated remarkable resilience and commitment to addressing climate change (goal 13), and efforts to enhance disaster risk reduction continue, though the number of countries having established national and local disaster risk reduction strategies remains at 29 out of 54 since 2015. Financing climate action in Africa is paramount but only $29.5 billion have been mobilized of the $2.8 trillion needed between 2020 and 2030 for African countries to implement their NDCs under the Paris Agreement.

“Financing remains a challenge for Africa. It needs between $118.2 billion and $145.5 billion per year to implement the continent’s climate action commitments and Nationally Determined Contributions. This requires the  development partners  to scale up their support, including by strengthening the system of public development banks focusing on enhancing productive capacities, infrastructure, and human capital development,  and for African countries  to  prioritize domestic resource mobilization  through reforms such as digitizing tax administration systems, implementing progressive taxation, and leveraging digital payment platforms,” explained Al Hamndou Dorsouma, Manager of the AfDB Climate Change and Green Growth Division.

In terms of governance (goal 16), some nations, such as Malawi, have taken significant measures to combat corruption, though it remains a significant challenge in many African countries, with stagnant progress and rising instances of bribery. Additionally, high illicit financial flows, totaling around $1.3 trillion in outflows and $1.1 trillion in inflows in 2020, continue to hinder the financing of key agendas, with Africa losing about $88.6 billion annually.

The ASDR also highlighted that key data gaps remain in many countries on the continent and recommends to policymakers and academics to include skills and capacity building in their priorities to be able to have a more accurate picture of the state of countries achievements and needs in terms of inclusive and sustainable development.

“This new report underscores African countries’ commitment and progress, but it also highlights the challenges that remain for us to shape up ‘The Africa We Want’. It stresses on the urgent need to accelerate sustainable development actions and the imperative for African countries to step up their efforts and empower communities for a more inclusive growth. But it also shows clearly how innovative financing and strengthened partnerships are key for countries to be able to redouble their efforts,” said Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union.

To access all findings and read the full set of recommendations, please consult the 2024 Africa Sustainable Development Report: https://apo-opa.co/46deMtO.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

For further information or potential interviews, please contact:
Eve Sabbagh
UNDP Africa Strategic Communications Specialist, New York
eve.sabbagh@undp.org

Sophia Denekew
ECA Media Relations
denekews.uneca@un.org

Amba Mpoke-Bigg
AfDB Communications and External Relations Department
media@afdb.org

About UNDP: 
UNDP is the leading United Nations agency fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at www.UNDP.org or follow @UNDP and @UNDPAfrica

The Xylem Egypt Plant, a joint venture between Xylem (www.Xylem.com) and the Tiba Manzalawi Group, has completed its first successful year of operation. Inaugurated in 2023 by Egypt’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Ahmed Samir, the international pump manufacturing site produces and assembles modern pumping equipment for Middle Eastern and African markets.

The Xylem Egypt Plant, located in 10th of Ramadan City outside Cairo, produces Split-Case Centrifugal pumps for various applications such as irrigation, HVAC, and commercial building services, and end-suction pumps for industry and irrigation. It’s a hub for manufacturing and assembling products from leading water brands such as Lowara, and Bell&Gossett.

While much of the factory’s output serves Egypt’s vibrant and growing market, it is growing to support the wider African and Middle Eastern markets. Xylem has been a part of the Egyptian story for over 50 years. In 2021, it opened a major office in the country to serve the region, followed two years later by opening the Xylem Egypt Plant.

Xylem is the first international company to produce state-of-the-art water pumps and related water technology equipment in Egypt—serving customers in irrigation, central heating and air conditioning, commercial building services, wastewater management, and numerous other applications in the industrial, manufacturing, and commercial sectors. The factory’s first phase covered 4,000 square metres with an annual production capacity of 2,000 to 4,000 water pumps, and plans to expand to 9,000 square metres.

Xylem has been a key partner for numerous Egypt projects, including the Abu Rawash, Gerza, and Alexandria treatment plants, the South Valley (Toshka) Irrigation Project, and providing equipment and design services for the Ministerial District of the New Administrative Capital), and the New Alamein City Downtown&Towers water systems.

The new plant was conceived in a joint venture with the Tiba Manzalawi Group, the leading regional manufacturer and provider of HVAC systems. Together, they established a reliable pipeline of Xylem brands, including complete units and spare parts.

This factory is the first in Egypt to produce water pumps on behalf of an international brand. Targeting both Egyptian and export markets, Xylem Egypt Plant creates substantial savings for the region through buying in local currency and shorter delivery times, The Xylem Egypt Plant also bolsters employment and further catalyses Egypt’s rapid growth and progress.

“One year and counting —the journey has been nothing short of incredible. In just one year, we’ve achieved so much together, and we’re grateful to everyone who has been involved. As we celebrate this milestone, we’re more committed than ever to Egypt through Xylem’s high-impact culture, says Vincent Chirouze, Managing Director at Xylem Africa.

“When we established the Xylem Egypt Plant, we wanted to show that Egypt can manufacture world-class products for international brands. A year later, we’ve exceeded our expectations, building and delivering top pump and HVAC solutions for our customers across North Africa and the Middle East. The factory shows that Egypt is a self-sustaining economic and industrial hub, deepening local industry and building manufacturing independence that is true to the Egyptian State’s vision,’ says Shady El Manzalawi, Group CEO at Tiba Manzalawi Group.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Xylem.

About Xylem:
Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to solving the world’s critical water, wastewater, and water-related challenges through technology, innovation, and expertise. Our more than 22,000 diverse employees delivered combined pro forma revenue of $7.3 billion in 2022. We are creating a more sustainable world by enabling our customers to optimize water and resource management and helping communities in more than 150 countries become water-secure. Join us in the effort at www.Xylem.com and Let’s Solve Water.