In recent years, many organisations have focused on creating governance and corruption measurement tools that can meet the demand for diagnostic data on the issues. The report takes stock of such tools in Sub-Saharan Africa, an area that presents considerable challenges in terms of governance and data gathering. Yet developing countries are among those most in need of these tools, since they can provide essential information about how a country is governed and how well the public sector is fulfilling its role, often in difficult circumstances. The availability of empirical research and diagnostic data in the region is very heterogeneous in nature. Some countries do not have dedicated or tailored measurement tools yet, except from those developed by international organisations, such as the World Bank, while others have implemented several governance and corruption measurement exercises.

The success of governance and corruption measurement tools depend greatly on who commissions the measurement exercise, which type of instrument is used and who uses the information collected. Impact also depends on the frequency with which a tool is implemented. Tools that track changes over time such as the Kenya Bribery Index, carried out by TI’s chapter in Kenya, or the report Etat de la corruption au Burkina Faso (State of corruption in Burkina Faso) are helpful sources of information for authorities to use in order to improve their policy and reform efforts more effectively.

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