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Several African countries are prioritising innovation through targeted investments and grassroots initiatives.
Innovation in Africa is proving more resilient than the global slowdown suggests, according to a new report.
The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025, published by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), ranked 139 economies across institutions, human capital, infrastructure, market and business sophistication, and knowledge and technology outputs.
The 2025 edition comes against the weakest global R&D growth since 2010 and a third straight year of declining venture capital. Yet, in parts of Africa, governments and firms are converting limited resources into measurable progress, climbing ranks, building clusters and launching targeted programmes that position the continent as an emerging source of efficiency gains.
“Other countries like Brazil, Malawi, Senegal, Thailand, Tunisia, Uzbekistan and Rwanda are outperforming on innovation relative to their development,” the report notes, signalling that measurable gains are possible outside high-income economies. Morocco is also listed among the fast risers, alongside India and Türkiye.
Morocco, Senegal, Rwanda, Tunisia, Mauritius and Malawi stood out in 2025. Morocco posted its best-ever ranking, rising to 57th.
Senegal, Rwanda, Tunisia, Mauritius, and Malawi were identified as overperformers based on their efficiency in converting inputs into outputs. Cairo remains Africa’s only top-100 innovation cluster, underscoring the role of urban ecosystems.
WIPO highlights how “targeted policies, institutional reforms, and catalytic financing can yield outsized innovation returns even at lower income levels.”
Morocco’s rise reflects measurable improvements in infrastructure, industrial capacity and knowledge investment. In 2025, the government signed a protocol with Onepoint to establish a Data & AI Centre of Excellence in Casablanca-Settat, to recruit 500 engineers by 2029.
“Tech like AI will help reform administration, preserve culture and attract investment,” said Minister Karim Zidane, framing the initiative as central to Morocco’s digital transformation.
Africa’s top innovation hotspots are ranked in a new report.
Credit: Business Insider
Senegal’s GII performance is tied to a deliberate choice to prioritise digital transformation. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye launched the “New Deal Technologique” in February, mobilising roughly CFA 1,105 billion (approximately US$1.7 billion) for digital sovereignty, skills, and infrastructure over the coming decade.
“Let’s make the NDT an engine of progress, not only for Senegal but for all of Africa,” President Faye said at the launch.
The programme, which packages public investment, training and regulatory reform, deepens the digital economy in ways that align directly with GII inputs. Rwanda’s trajectory reflects how cluster building and public-private partnerships can leverage limited resources to achieve concentrated outputs.
Kigali Innovation City (KIC), a US$300 million precinct backed by Africa50 and BADEA, is designed to host universities, research institutes, incubators and Grade-A office space. It is projected to create over 50,000 jobs and generate US$150 million in technology exports within two years.
According to the GII, Rwanda remains a leading low-income performer, with gains in scientific publications, ICT services, and cluster dynamics demonstrating how concentrated ecosystems enhance knowledge and technology outputs.
Tunisia’s placement among overperformers is linked to new financing and pipeline channels for startups and SMEs. According to World Bank reporting, the iSME programme and Startup Tunisia ran regional roadshows and financing windows in 2025 to connect entrepreneurs with capital and markets.
Mauritius maintained its leadership in Africa (outside of the North African region), scoring highly in tertiary education, student mobility and business sophistication.
In September 2025, the country unveiled its National Higher Education Strategy (2025–2035), a collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning. Minister of Tertiary Education, Science and Research Kaviraj Sharma Sukon called it “a bold declaration of our intent to revolutionise education and secure our place as a global leader amongst island nations.”
Malawi’s inclusion highlights a grassroots pathway focused on youth, agriculture and catalytic finance. The 2025 Youth Innovation Fund provided seed financing and mentorship to young entrepreneurs, supported by hackathons and agri-tech challenges. At the National Youth Summit in Lilongwe, for instance, six eco-pioneers received a combined K76.42 million (over US$40,000) for ventures in conservation and sustainability.
“We believe these are the engines that will transform youth potential into prosperity,” said Rex Chapota, Executive Director of the National Youth Council of Malawi.
Across these cases, two recurring mechanisms are evident: deliberate public investment and institutional design. From Morocco’s AI centre to Senegal’s sovereign digital plan, Rwanda’s innovation city and Malawi’s youth funds, African countries are showing that innovation can thrive even when global capital and R&D are in retreat.
Credit: Bonface Orucho, Bird Story Agency
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