INTELLIGENCE REPORT

The report establishes a positive correlation between inclusive governance—measured by Voice & Accountability (VA) scores—and broad-based development, measured by the Human Development Index (HDI), across global, continental, and regional scales. It argues that accountable governance fosters political stability and consistent policymaking, which in turn sustains economic dynamism. Using Angola as a case study, the document illustrates how the repression of participation and human rights abuses can lead to the stagnation or reversal of human development outcomes. The report concludes that private sector companies have a financial and reputational incentive to support inclusive governance, anti-corruption policies, and civil society capacity building to mitigate 'above-ground risk' and secure long-term investments.

• There is a clear global correlation between inclusive governance and broad-based economic development. Analysis of 188 countries shows that the top 25% of countries in Voice & Accountability (VA) scores average nearly 18% better on the Human Development Index (HDI) than the next highest group, and 35% better than the bottom half of countries.
• A positive correlation between VA and HDI exists across 53 African countries and within all UN-defined African regions. Eastern Africa shows the strongest positive correlation, while Middle Africa shows the weakest, largely due to Equatorial Guinea, where high oil rents maintain a higher HDI despite a low VA score.
• In Angola, a shift toward repressing participation and increasing human rights abuses has contributed to the stagnation and reversal of human development. While VA and HDI rose in the first decade after the 2002 civil war, HDI began to stagnate in 2016 and has seen a slight reversal since 2018, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and government crackdowns on peaceful protests.
• Private sector companies face significant operational and reputational risks when they fail to invest in inclusive governance. The report cites TotalEnergies in Mozambique as an example, where a failure to engage with local communities and invest in inclusive governance left the company vulnerable to insurgency attacks, necessitating the use of private militia.
• To mitigate risk and support sustainable development, companies should expand their ESG and CSR efforts to include governance capacity building, transparent procurement processes, and the support of robust anti-corruption policies to reduce government rent-seeking behavior.

APA

Desai, P., Bennett, M., Ohamadike, N., & Dube, C. (n.d.). INTELLIGENCE REPORT. Good Governance Africa. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2023/06/IR-GPI-Investing-in-inclusive-governance.pdf

Chicago

Desai, Pranish, Monique Bennett, Nnaemeka Ohamadike, and Christine Dube. INTELLIGENCE REPORT. Good Governance Africa, n.d. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2023/06/IR-GPI-Investing-in-inclusive-governance.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Desai |first1=Pranish |last2=Bennett |first2=Monique |last3=Ohamadike |first3=Nnaemeka |last4=Dube |first4=Christine |title=INTELLIGENCE REPORT |publisher=Good Governance Africa |url=https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2023/06/IR-GPI-Investing-in-inclusive-governance.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{desaindintelligence, author = {Desai, Pranish and Bennett, Monique and Ohamadike, Nnaemeka and Dube, Christine}, title = {{INTELLIGENCE REPORT}}, institution = {Good Governance Africa}, url = {https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2023/06/IR-GPI-Investing-in-inclusive-governance.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }