Poor Debt Data, Weak Oversight Threaten Africa’s Debt Management — Experts

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African countries need better systems for tracking public debt and stronger parliamentary scrutiny of government borrowing, said some development experts said on Wednesday.

They spoke at the sixth African Conference on Debt and Development (AfCoDD VI), organised by the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) in Nairobi, Kenya.

Douglas Bitonda Kigabo, an economic affairs officer with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, stated that governments should publish information covering not only central government debt but also borrowing by sub-national governments and state-owned enterprises.

Government guarantees and other liabilities that could eventually become public obligations should also be disclosed, he said.

The World Bank reported in 2025 that more than 75 per cent of low-income countries publish some debt information, but only about a quarter disclose loan-level details on newly contracted debt.

Mr Kigabo said weak laws and regulations, fragmented institutions and inadequate oversight by parliaments and civil society were making it harder to properly manage Africa’s debt.

The bank said incomplete disclosure can make it difficult to establish the full extent of a country’s debt obligations.

LAWMAKERS DEMAND MORE INFORMATION

Masenate Molapo, programme manager for Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment at the SADC Parliamentary Forum, explained that parliamentarians must do more to scrutinise government borrowing.

“There has to be accountability. There has to be statistics. There has to be questions asked. Where is the money going? How is the money going to be used?” She said.

She added that the SADC Parliamentary Forum was working with civil society organisations on a model law on public financial management to strengthen parliamentary oversight of…