“If there is deterioration in governance, if there is corruption, if there is marginalisation, people are going to pick up arms,” he said.
The report found infrastructure, from mobile phone access to energy, and women’s equality were better in 2023 for roughly 95% of Africans.
Health, education and business environment metrics had also improved continent-wide.
However, the report found public perceptions of progress were grim, even when the corresponding governance dimensions showed progress. All public perception indicators, apart from those tracking women’s leadership, declined.
The worst drops were in perceptions of economic opportunities and of safety and security.
The foundation said this could be due to higher expectations in countries that were making progress, and also a tendency to focus on what is not working.
Ibrahim said it was a serious problem.
He said: “If public dissatisfaction is high, that obviously can lead to unrest, it can lead to increased migration, conflicts.”