Government Religion Policy and Religious Freedom in Sub-Saharan Africa 1990 to 2023

This study uses the Religion and State round 4 (RAS4) dataset to provide an overview of government religion policy including freedom of religion and belief as well as government support for religion in Sub-Saharan Africa between 1990 and 2023. We find that there has been a rise in government support for religion, government regulation of the majority religion, and restrictions on religious minorities during this period. Given that religiosity and religious diversity are particularly high in the region, we argue that covenantal pluralism is a potentially useful lens to both view and address this rising political significance of religion in the region.