Agency Report
Botswana recorded the highest improvement from 2021 to join Mauritius, South Africa, Morocco, and Tunisia in the top five list, edging out Kenya
Former US president Barack Obama was wowed by clean energy innovation in Nairobi.
This year saw Africa climb up the global tech ladder to join the rest of the world in running an economy driven by innovation.
The 15th edition of the Global Innovation Index (pdf) released recently by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) ranks Mauritius, South Africa, and Morocco, which have significantly moved up closer to developed economies in the rankings over the past few years, as the most innovative African countries.
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Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe performed above expectations under the lower-middle income category while Rwanda, Madagascar (which has Africa’s fastest internet), Mozambique, and Burundi “outperformed on innovation relative to their development” in the low-income group.
South Africa exceeded expectations in the upper middle-income group while Mauritius performed within expectations in the same group. Ghana and Senegal’s innovation performance was in line with their economic development in the lower-middle income category, as well as Ethiopia, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Niger in the low-income group.
