Scorecard & Performance Index

The African Grassroots Democracy and Development Index (AGDDI) is the flagship continental assessment tool of the Africa Institute for Grassroots Democracy and Development Studies (AIGDDS).

It stands as a pioneering continental tool for assessing grassroots governance. It tracks and compares how African local governments perform in democratic governance, transparency, service delivery, and grassroots development.

AGDDI provides independent, data-driven measurement of how African local governments and grassroots communities perform in terms of democratic governance, development delivery, transparency, and citizen well-being.

It reflects AIGDDS’s commitment to consolidating and deepening national integration through stronger democratic institutions and inclusive development at the community level.

AGDDI is designed to:

Strengthen the practice of grassroots democracy across Africa;

Promote transparency and accountability at the local and national levels;

Track development outcomes across local governments in Africa;

Identify high-performing and under-performing areas, and best-performing local governance models;

Support evidence-based policy reforms at the local and national levels;

Serve as a continental reference point and insights for policymakers, researchers, civil society, and development institutions/practitioners, and citizens; and

Track progress over time and provide regular monthly and quarterly updates on performance trends.

AGDDI is built around four Core Pillars and twelve Key Indicators.

Each pillar reflects a fundamental dimension of grassroots democratic performance.

Each pillar contains set indicators that measure specific aspects of grassroots performance.

Pillars:

1. Democratic Participation & Inclusion.
2. Transparency & Accountability.
3. Development Delivery & Infrastructure.
4. Economic Empowerment & Local Productivity

Pillar 1: Democratic Participation & Inclusion

Measures citizen participation in local decision-making processes, town halls, ward meetings, and community consultations.

Tracks gender, youth, and minority inclusion in grassroots leadership and local council structures.

Monitors credibility of local elections, voter turnout trends, and transparency of electoral processes.

Pillar 2: Transparency & Accountability

Assesses publication, accessibility, and clarity of local government budgets.

Measures adherence to anti-corruption compliance, auditing practices, procurement standards, and integrity systems.

Evaluates speed and effectiveness of responses to complaints, petitions, citizens’ needs and community requests.

Pillar 3: Development Delivery & Infrastructure

Tracks basic service provision such as water supply, sanitation, primary healthcare, electricity coverage, waste management, etc.

Measures road rehabilitation, market upgrades, schools, health centers, and public facilities.

Tracks social investments and community welfare education spending, health investments, social safety programs, and community-level development projects.

Pillar 4: Economic Empowerment & Productivity

Measures economic activity, micro-enterprise support, and job creation (employment) at the grassroots level.

Tracks agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods Such as yields, access to inputs, extension services, and rural market linkages.

Evaluates the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) efficiency and capacity of local governments to mobilize non-exploitative revenue.

AGDDI applies a mixed-method, multi-source, data-validation approach using (Data Sources):

Local government administrative data/records;

Household surveys;

Civil society monitoring data;

Satellite and geospatial development indicators;

Open Government datasets; and

Field reports from AIGDDS country and regional fellows.

Scoring System:

Each indicator is rated/scored on a 0–100 scale;

The final Index is an aggregate weighted score, computed as:

Pillar weight: 25% each (the 4 pillars carry equal weight of 25% each);

Indicator-weight distribution: Equal within each pillar unless special weighting is required by context.

Reporting Frequency:

Monthly Briefs: Rapid updates on changes, trends and shifts in grassroots governance and development performance.

Quarterly Reports: Comprehensive ranking table, thematic analysis, and country/sub-national comparisons.

Monthly Briefs

Provide:

Rapid trend analysis.

Early warnings on governance risks.

Highlights of improvement hotspots.

Citizen sentiment snapshots.

Quarterly Reports

Feature:

Continental ranking tables.

Country-level and local government performance scores.

Highlight of the Top 20 Performing Local Governments in Africa.

Highlight of the Bottom 20 Underperforming Local Governments.

Regional comparisons.

Maps, charts, and trend analysis and thematic insights.

The AGDDI web dashboard will host and offer:

Visual scorecards.

Performance heat-maps.

Downloadable datasets.

Policy briefs and technical notes

AGDDI supports the AIGDDS mission of consolidating and deepening national integration by:

Promoting a culture of evidence-based grassroots governance;

Empowering citizens to demand better services;

Supporting leaders with actionable policy insights;

Tracking the progress of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 at the grassroots level; and

Building a Pan-African community of researchers and practitioners dedicated to grassroots transformation.