South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya have emerged as the top-performing parliaments in Africa, according to the 2025 Africa Open Parliament Index (OPI) report launched by the Africa Parliamentary Monitoring Organisations Network (APMON).
The OPI provides a comprehensive assessment of 33 African national parliaments, measuring their performance across three critical dimensions: transparency, civic participation, and public accountability.
According to the Secretary General of APMON, Sammy Obeng, ‘The OPI is not just a ranking – it is a roadmap. It challenges parliaments to open up their work, engage citizens meaningfully, and demonstrate accountability.’ Obeng emphasised that the index highlights areas where urgent reforms are needed, while also showing encouraging progress in many countries.
The South African Parliament ranked first with an overall score of 79.69%, making it the most open parliament in Southern Africa. Ghana’s Parliament followed closely, ranking second with an overall score of 77.60%, and leading in West Africa. Kenya’s Parliament took third place with an overall score of 73.96%, and leading in East Africa.
In contrast, the Parliament of Comoros ranked 31st with an overall score of 29.69%, while the Parliament of South Sudan ranked 32nd with an overall score of 28.65%. The Parliament of Guinea-Bissau ranked lowest, with an overall score of 28.13%.
The launch event featured a panel discussion with civil society leaders, who shared strategies for co-creating reforms that will make African parliaments more open, responsive, and citizen-centred. APMON and its partners are calling on governments, parliaments, and development partners to work together to implement evidence-based reforms inspired by the index.
The OPI 2025 report is now available for download on (link unavailable). APMON will be engaging with individual parliaments, civil society organisations, and regional bodies to present country-specific findings and support the development of action plans that advance parliamentary openness.