The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) recently published its Global Innovation Index (GII) for 2024, which assesses the innovative capacity of 133 countries around the world.
In Africa, 10 countries appear in the ranking. Mauritius tops the list with a score of 30.6, placing it 55th in the world, followed by Morocco with a score of 28.8, placing it 66th in the world.
South Africa comes next with a score of 28.3, which puts it in 69th place. Tunisia, with a score of 25.4, is ranked 81st in the world and 4th in Africa, having dropped two places since the 2023 edition. It is followed by Egypt in 86th place with a score of 23.7.
In 6th place is Botswana with a score of 23.1, followed by Cabo Verde on 22.3, 90th in the world.
Senegal follows in 8th place with a score of 22, 92nd in the world, closely followed by Kenya with a score of 21, 96th in the world. Finally, Ghana completes the African top 10 with a score of 20, 101st in the world.
Switzerland is the most innovative country in the world with a score of 67.5. It is closely followed by Sweden with a score of 64.5, then the United States with 62.4, Singapore with 61.2 and finally the United Kingdom, which completes the top 5 with a score of 61.
The 2024 edition of the GII focuses on social entrepreneurship as a vector of innovation for positive change. Overall, the Index assesses countries’ innovation performance across two broad sets of criteria: “input” and “output” sub-indices.
Inputs include elements such as institutions (governance, business environment), human resources and research (educational attainment, R&D expenditure), infrastructure, the innovation system (collaboration between firms and institutions) and the market.
The outputs measure innovation performance, such as patents and innovative startups, as well as economic impact, i.e. how innovation contributes to productivity and growth.
Ultimately, the Index uses around 80 indicators to provide a comprehensive assessment, allowing countries to identify their strengths and weaknesses in terms of innovation.
