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13 Most Innovative Countries In Africa

13 Most Innovative Countries In Africa

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You won’t find an African country among the world’s top 25 performers for innovation, but several low-income African countries are outperforming their peers based on GDP, earning the designation “innovation achievers.”

Co-published by Cornell University, the World Intellectual Property Organization, and A.T. Kearney, the Global Innovation Index goes beyond traditional measures of innovation such as research and development, and has evolved into a benchmarking tool used to evaluate progress. It ranks 141 countries’ strengths and weaknesses on 81 indicators including institutions, human capital, infrastructure, market sophistication, business sophistication, knowledge and technology outputs and creative outputs. These are the 13 most innovative countries in Africa, along with their overall global rankings out of 141.

Windhoek, Namibia
Windhoek, Namibia. Photo: Gary Latham/Getty Images.

13. Namibia Ranked No. 107 out of 141 countries

Mud Mosque, Djenne
Market stalls, Great Mud Mosque, Djenne. Photo: Timothy Alle/Getty Images

12. Mali – Ranked No. 105 out of 141 countries

Fogo, Cabo Verde
Island of Fogo Mosteiros, Cabo Verde

11. Cabo Verde – Ranked No. 103 out of 141 countries

Burkina Faso
Avenue Kwame Nkruma, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Photo: Tom Cockrem/Getty Images

10. Burkina Faso – Ranked No. 102 out of 141 countries

Blantyre CBD, Malawi.
Blantyre CBD, Malawi. Photo: ntyre CBD, Malawi
Credit: Christopher Scott/Getty Images

9. Malawi – Ranked No. 98 out of 141 countries

Maputo skyline
Maputo skyline with crane. Photo: Dana Sanchez

8. Mozambique – Ranked No. 95 out of 141 countries

Kigali, Rwanda
Kigali, Rwanda. Photo: Michael Sugrue/Getty Images

7. Rwanda – Ranked No. 94 out of 141 countries

financial inclusion Africa Kenya
Nairobi, Kenya. Getty

6. Kenya – Ranked No. 92 out of 141 countries

Gaborone Botswana
Workers polish diamonds in Gaborone. Photo: Monirul Bhuiyan/Getty Images

5. Botswana – Ranked No. 90 out of 141 countries

market, Senegal
Momar Sar weekly market, Senegal. Photo: Aldo Pavan/Getty Images

4. Senegal – Ranked No. 84 out of 141 countries

Seychelles
Market Street, Victoria, Mahe Island, Seychelles. Photo: Jan Greune/Getty Images

3. Seychelles – Ranked No. 65th out of 141 countries

african innovation
Photo: Dimitri Vervitsiotis/Getty Images

2. South Africa – Ranked No. 60 out of 141 countries

Mauritius
Ice-cream seller on motorcycle in Mauritius. Photo: John Borthwick/Getty Images

1. Mauritius – Ranked No. 49 globally out of 141 countries