Here are the top 10 best countries for innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2018

South Africa, Mauritius and Kenya are among the best places for innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Global Innovation Index 2018 (GII) report.

The Global Innovation Index 2018 (GII), in its 11th edition, is co-published by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO, a specialized agency of the United Nations).

In Africa, South Africa takes the top spot among all economies, followed by Mauritius and Kenya out of the 22 countries ranked in Sub Saharan Africa.

Nigeria and Ghana occupy the 11th and 17th spots respectively in Africa.

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In the world ranking, Switzerland maintained a top position in the GII for the eighth consecutive year. It ranked first in various patent and IP-related indicators, as well as second in high- and medium-high-tech manufacturing production. It is among global leaders in research and development, spending and quality of local universities.

According to the report, a number of Sub-Saharan African economies perform relatively well on innovation when comparing performance to the level of economic development.

Here are the best places for innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2018:

1. South Africa

2. Mauritius

3. Kenya

4. Botswana

5. Tanzania

6. Namibia

7. Rwanda

8. Senegal

9. Uganda

10. Madagascar

The GII is calculated as the average of two sub-indices. The Innovation Input Sub-Index gauges elements of the national economy which embody innovative activities grouped in five pillars: (1) Institutions, (2) Human capital and research, (3) Infrastructure, (4) Market sophistication, and (5) Business sophistication. The Innovation Output Sub-Index captures actual evidence of innovation results, divided into two pillars: (6) Knowledge and technology outputs and (7) Creative outputs.

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