The Governing Board is the highest decision-making organ of AGI. It is composed of 11 members, including both representatives of organizations and eminent persons chosen on the basis of individual merit.

The Governing Board has the authority to determine the general policies of the Institute, and to orient and guide its activities. It appoints the Executive Director of AGI.

It is composed of:

Mr. Ousmane Sy, Chair of the Board; Individual Member; Coordinator of the Alliance for Rebuilding Governance in Africa;

Mrs. Nouria Benghabrit-Remaoun, Deputy Chair; Individual Member; Director of the Centre de Recherche en Anthropologie Sociale et Culturelle in Oran;

Mrs. Julia Dolly Joiner, African Union Political Affairs Commissioner;

The Director of Governance, Economic and Finance Management, African Development Bank ;

Mr. Abdalla Hamdok, Deputy Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa;

The Representative of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa;

Mr. Ebrima Sall, CODESRIA Executive Secretary;

Mr. Guy Alexandre, Individual Member Representative of the African Diaspora; Program Director at the International Organization for Migrations in Point-à-Pitre;

Mr. Carlos Lopes, Individual Member; Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR);

Mrs. Zenebeworke Tadesse-Marcos, Individual Member; former Chair of the CODESRIA Council;

Mr. Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, Individual Member ; Professor of African Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.