2026: The Year Africa Must Move from Policy to Performance

By Richard Ndebele
As another year begins, Africa once again finds itself at a familiar crossroads — rich in
strategies, frameworks and commitments, yet still grappling with the hard reality of
implementation. From climate action pledges and digital transformation blueprints to public
financial management reforms, the continent has no shortage of policy ambition. What it
continues to lack is consistent execution.
If 2026 is to be different, it must be the year Africa decisively shifts from policy intent to
measurable performance.
Over the past decade, African governments have adopted some of the world’s most
progressive development frameworks. National development strategies, climate commitments
under the Paris Agreement, public sector reform programmes and digitalisation agendas are
now commonplace. Yet citizens continue to experience weak service delivery, deteriorating
infrastructure and limited economic opportunity. The gap between promise and practice
remains stubbornly wide.
One of the central reasons for this disconnect lies in how public resources are managed.
Public financial management (PFM) systems across much of the continent remain focused on
compliance rather than outcomes. Budgets are prepared and approved, but too often they are
not aligned to national priorities, nor are they effectively monitored for impact. Expenditure
tracking frequently ends at spending rather than results, making it difficult to answer the most
important question: what value did citizens actually receive?
In an era of constrained fiscal space, this is no longer sustainable.
At the same time, the rise of artificial intelligence and data analytics offers Africa a rare
opportunity to leapfrog traditional governance limitations. Properly deployed, AI can
strengthen revenue administration, detect procurement fraud, improve targeting of social
programmes and enhance real-time monitoring of public projects. However, technology alone
is not a silver bullet. Without institutional capacity, ethical safeguards and political
commitment, digital tools risk becoming expensive distractions rather than transformative
solutions.
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations further sharpen the urgency of
reform. Investors, development partners and citizens are increasingly demanding
transparency, accountability and sustainability. Governments can no longer afford opaque
budgeting processes, weak environmental oversight or exclusionary development models.
ESG is no longer a private-sector concern; it is fast becoming a public-sector imperative.
Yet ESG integration into public finance remains uneven. Climate budgets are often
fragmented across ministries, social spending is poorly targeted, and governance reforms
move at a glacial pace. What is missing is a coherent framework that links ESG objectives
directly to budgeting, procurement and performance management.

Service delivery ultimately sits at the centre of this debate. For ordinary Africans, the success
or failure of governance reforms is judged not by policy documents but by lived experience
— whether clinics have medicines, schools have teachers, roads are maintained and water
flows from taps. When systems fail, trust in public institutions erodes, fuelling
disengagement and instability.
The way forward is neither mysterious nor unattainable.
First, governments must reorient budgeting processes toward outcomes rather than inputs.
Performance-based budgeting, supported by credible data, should become the norm rather
than the exception.
Second, digital transformation must be anchored in governance reform. AI and data tools
should support decision-making, enhance oversight and strengthen accountability — not
merely automate inefficiencies.
Third, ESG principles must be embedded across the entire public finance cycle, from
planning and procurement to reporting and evaluation. This requires political leadership as
much as technical expertise.
Finally, transparency and citizen engagement must move beyond rhetoric. Open data,
participatory budgeting and independent oversight are essential for rebuilding trust and
ensuring reforms deliver tangible benefits.
Africa does not suffer from a lack of ideas. It suffers from a failure to consistently translate
those ideas into action. If 2026 is to mark a turning point, it must be remembered as the year
governments chose performance over paperwork, results over rhetoric, and service delivery
over promises.
The continent’s future depends on it.
About the Author:
Richard Ndebele is Manager: Technical, Research & Quality Assurance at the Chartered
Governance and Accountancy Institute in Zimbabwe (CGI Zimbabwe) and Country
Champion for the PAFA Sustainability Centre of Excellence. He writes on governance,
sustainability, and public financial management in Africa.
Contact: rndebele@cgizim.org