The role of quality governance in achieving sustainable development goals in North Africa: An integrated decision-support system

North Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate change. Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in North Africa requires effective governance, yet the governance factors influencing SDG progress remain underexplored. Therefore, this study examines the nexus between the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGIs) of voice and accountability, political stability and violence, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in North Africa. Previous research has insufficiently explored the relationship between global governance progress and the 2030 agenda. To bridge this gap, we applied an integrated Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) model to compute the ranks and weights the performance of North African countries in achieving the 17 SDGs from 2016–2022. The results show that Quality Education (SDG 4), Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9), Reduce Inequalities (SDG10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG11), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG12) and Peace Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG16) exhibited the highest performance in the region based on Second Synthetic Grey Relational Analysis Model (SSGRA). Additionally, a conservative maximin model was used to identify which North African country has the greatest impact of WGI on SDG outcomes. The findings indicate that Morocco faced the most significant challenges, particularly in achieving SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation). These results highlight critical implications for North African governments, emphasizing the need to prioritize (clean water and sanitation) SDG 6 and implement effective national strategies. This study recommends policymakers focus on governance reforms in lagging sectors and leverage data-driven frameworks to monitor and guide sustainable development interventions.