Past decades have witnessed an upsurge in the use of global performance indicators (GPIs) to influence state behaviour. Within international development, the millennium development goals (MDGs) introduced an era of indicator-based governance, which now continues with the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The article provides a theoretical and empirical account of the workings and effectiveness of GPI-based development governance. Focusing on MDG 3, which concerned gender equality, the article presents the results of (1) a mapping of GPI adjustment in 15 Sub-Saharan African countries from 2000 to 2015, and (2) a study of the causal mechanisms of gender policy change in Kenya and Ethiopia. The findings demonstrate that MDG 3 was effective in influencing domestic policy commitments but struggled to generate further behavioural change, highlighting the risks of superficial GPI adjustment. The case studies show that domestic change was primarily driven by the donors' economic conditionality and social influence strategies, leveraged through MDG performance assessments. The reason why material and social pressure was unable to close the gap between commitments and implementation efforts rests with its reliance on incentives as a source of change. These findings have implications for GPI-based governance, SDG implementation and gender equality change.