Conference Paper

Public Administration Capacity and Economic Performance in Sub Saharan Africa

Public administration capacity remains central to the economic performance of Sub Saharan Africa, where many countries continue to experience uneven growth despite repeated fiscal reforms, governance reforms, and national development plans. This paper examines the relationship between public administration capacity and economic performance in Sub Saharan Africa through qualitative content analysis of five recent empirical studies. The selected studies focus on state capacity, government effectiveness, good governance, governance quality indicators, fiscal policy, and economic growth in the region. The paper is anchored on State Capacity Theory, which explains the ability of the state to enforce rules, mobilise resources, manage public institutions, maintain order, and implement policy. Findings show that public administration capacity influences economic performance through government effectiveness, fiscal capacity, rule of law, corruption control, and political stability. The paper argues that economic policy and public expenditure cannot produce sustainable growth where administrative systems are weak, corruption is high, fiscal management is poor, and legal institutions lack credibility. It concludes that strengthening public administration capacity should be treated as a core economic development strategy in Sub Saharan Africa. Keywords: Economic performance, Governance, Public administration capacity, State capacity, Sub Saharan Africa