The 2020 Global Innovation Index (GII) was released in
September. The study was authored by WIPO, Cornell University and
INSEAD and focused on innovation financing, against the backdrop of
the economic impact of the covid-19 pandemic. This article focuses
on how African countries performed, using trademark-related
information as an indicator.
Africa at a glance
The most innovative economies on the continent are Mauritius
(52ndplace), South Africa (60th), Tunisia (65th) and Morocco
(75th). The study concluded that while most countries ranked fairly
low in several indicators, such as R&D, high government
reliance and challenging business environments, the report
highlighted several countries' strengths, including high
expenditure in education (ie, Botswana and Tunisia), R&D (ie,
South Africa, Kenya and Egypt) and strong use of the IP system (ie,
Kenya, Tunisia, South Africa, Namibia, Madagascar and Morocco).
