ADDIS ABABA, March 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Overall governance is improving in Africa, but major challenges still remain, said a new report from the Addis Ababa-based UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

    The report, titled "African Governance Report (AGR)," was launched on Friday at the ECA headquarters. It is the culmination of a three-year survey of experts and households in 27 African countries, aimed at gauging citizens' perception of the state of governance in each country.

    The research has shown significant improvements in political governance indicators, especially if compared to a decade ago, said the report.

    Many African countries now have multiparty regimes, with varying levels of stability, acceptance and legitimacy, it said.

    Political systems, political party freedom, security and power distribution are the indicators that scored the highest, with percentages above 60 percent, while decentralization, tax system efficiency and corruption scored the lowest, it added.

    However, there is still much room for improvement, the report said.

    People's rights continue to be violated, opposition parties lack access to resources and security, and electoral commissions are not well resourced and lack full independence, according to the report.

    On economic management and corporate governance, progress has been registered in public financial management and accountability thanks to an overall stronger commitment to medium term expenditure frameworks, it said.

    However, tax evasion, corruption and lack of transparency pose serious challenges, said the report.

    For instance, in 18 countries, more than half the experts surveyed indicated that tax evasion is mostly or always affected by corruption. On a positive side, private and public partnerships are growing, allowing for stronger efficiency and transparency in the delivery of public services.

    In terms of institutional effectiveness and accountability, there port noted there has been a decline in the historical dominance of the executive in many countries although there is still room for better checks and balances.

    Corruption continues to hinder executive effectiveness, as shown in the results of the household surveys, it said.

    Only a third of the respondents believe that the government can deal effectively with the problems they face, said the report.

    And despite some improvements, service delivery remains poor and a stronger response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic is needed. One of the key improvements in accountability is the growing number of privately owned media in many countries, it said.

    But challenges remain such as strengthening judicial systems, boosting the effectiveness of the civil service and better integration of traditional institutions into the governance system, it said.

    The report revealed overall considerable country variations in governance. While some, such as Namibia, South Africa and Ghana, scored consistently better than the sample average, others, such as Kenya and Chad, scored worse and below average in most areas.

    It concluded that there is a pressing need for developing a strong and comprehensive capacity building agenda, focusing on strengthening parliaments and other government institutions, tapping the potential of information technology, promoting responsible media, and confronting the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on governance. Enditem