Mauritius tops Africa’s innovation landscape in 2025 with a Global Innovation Index (GII) score of 32.5, ranking 53rd out of 139 countries worldwide. Morocco (57th, 31.1) and South Africa (61st, 30.1) complete the continental top three, showing strong performance in science, technology, and knowledge creation. Seychelles and Tunisia follow closely, sustaining steady progress in innovation ecosystems.
At the other end, Nigeria ranks 105th globally with a score of 21.1, alongside Rwanda (104th, 21.1), signalling the need for stronger investments in research, digital infrastructure, and human capital. Côte d’Ivoire and Zambia (both below 20 points) reflect countries where innovation remains under pressure, with limited resources for scaling science, tech, and entrepreneurship.