Democratic governance in Africa has improved overall since 2000. Helped by robust international responses, a deepening democratic experience may also be reducing the space for governments to engage in armed conflicts. In 2012 there were fewer than in 2000, and they were much less deadly. At the same time, public protests increased in recent years, centred on demands for jobs, better wages and government accountability. Government response has been limited and in some places repressive. In economic governance, initiatives to fight illicit capital flows and to increase transparency in extractives are encouraging, and the business environment is improving.