Access to public services in Africa can be a challenging experience for many citizens, as highlighted in the latest Afrobarometer Pan-Africa Profile report. The report, based on data from 39 African countries, focuses on the experiences of individuals who sought services from public health facilities, public schools, government agencies providing identity documents, and the police within the past year.
The findings reveal that a significant number of Africans faced difficulties in accessing essential services. Large pluralities reported obstacles in obtaining identity documents, police assistance, or medical care. Furthermore, more than a third of respondents expressed feeling treated with disrespect by government agencies and public healthcare providers.
Of particular concern is the correlation between disrespectful treatment by public service providers and negative perceptions of the government and democracy. The data also indicates that youth and economically disadvantaged citizens are more likely to encounter challenges in accessing services and experience disrespectful treatment.
Key findings from the report include:
– A significant proportion of the adult population across 39 countries had contact with public healthcare facilities, public schools, government agencies for identity documents, and the police.
– Nearly half of individuals who interacted with these public service providers found it difficult to obtain identity documents, police assistance, or health services.
– More than a third reported being treated with little or no respect by ID authorities, medical staff, and police officers.
– Youth and economically disadvantaged citizens were particularly susceptible to difficulties in accessing services and disrespectful treatment.
The Afrobarometer surveys aim to provide reliable data on African perspectives on democracy, governance, and quality of life. Conducted by national partners through face-to-face interviews in respondents’ preferred languages, the surveys offer country-level results with a margin of error of +/-2 to +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
For more information, individuals can reach out to Daniel Iberi, Afrobarometer’s communications officer for East Africa, via email at diberi@afrobarometer.org or by phone at +25 472 567 4457. Social media users can connect with Afrobarometer on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram, or visit their website at www.Afrobarometer.org.
The Afrobarometer report sheds light on the challenges faced by African citizens in accessing public services and underscores the importance of respectful and efficient service delivery in building trust in government institutions and sustaining democratic governance.
