The latest World Bank review of policies and institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa shows an overall stable environment for growth and poverty reduction despite divergence across countries. The review is part of the annual World Bank Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) that rates the performance of poor countries. The scores of 11 countries rose by 0.1 points or more, reflecting a strengthened policy agenda, and the indexes of another 12 countries declined by at least 0.1 points. Cape Verde and Kenya had the highest scores. The upward trend of scores assessing social reforms shows that they are taking hold in Sub-Saharan Africa. Governance scores continue to lag all other areas assessed by the CPIA, reflecting the deep-rooted challenges facing African countries in this important area.