Africa’s Leaders

• Mauritius holds the top spot among African nations, ranking 55th globally in the 2024 GII.
• South Africa follows, placed 69th globally, consolidating its position as a regional innovation hub.
• Kenya also stands out, ranked 96th globally, showing strength in human capital and tech adoption.

Other rising overperformers in Sub-Saharan Africa include Senegal, Rwanda, Namibia and Madagascar, many of which exceed expectations relative to their GDP and income levels.

Africa’s Laggards & Key Weaknesses

• Nigeria occupies 113th out of 133 economies in the 2024 GII, placing it 12th among African countries.
• Its highest performance is in Human capital & research (78th globally) and Creative outputs (87th).
• However, Nigeria scores worst in Infrastructure (127th), Institutions (125th), and in metrics like Market sophistication and Knowledge & technology outputs.

Smaller economies also lag due to poor data-coverage, inadequate R&D spending, weak regulatory environments, limited digital infrastructure, and gaps in technology outputs.

Trends & Implications

• A number of middle-income African economies are “overperforming” punching above their income level in innovation output and efficiency.
• Conversely, many countries underperform relative to what their economic status might predict, often because of weak institutions, poor infrastructure, or lack of investment in innovation systems.
• For Nigeria, the report suggests that while human capital and creative sectors have promise, foundational challenges such as infrastructure, institutional framework, and market sophistication are holding back higher innovation rankings.