Structural Policies (Cluster B) covers policies affecting trade, the financial sector, and the business environment. The regional average score for structural policies increased to 3.2 in 2022 due to the increased score for the business regulatory environment. However, the region’s average score for the financial sector is very low, reflecting weaknesses in the depth of the sector and access to finance.
Nevertheless, the cluster average for Western and Central Africa picked up this year, while the average for Eastern and Southern Africa remained relatively steady, and the cluster averages increased for five countries and decreased for only two.