Kenya has significantly improved after emerging at position 96 worldwide in the 2024 Edition of the Global Innovation Rankings.
In the report published by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Kenya was ranked sixth among Sub-Saharan countries.
Kenya improved after moving from the 100th position and garnering 21.00 points compared to last year when Kenya had 21.24 points.
The Global Innovation Rankings outline the most innovative economies in the world, ranking the innovation performance of around 130 economies while highlighting innovation strengths and weaknesses.
The index is computed by taking a simple average of the scores in two sub-indices, the Innovation Input Index and the Innovation Output Index.
According to the report, Mauritius took the lead as the most innovative country in the Sub-Saharan region followed by South Africa, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Senegal and Kenya respectively.
Kenya made the largest improvement in the region, advancing four ranks into the top 100. Kenya improved notably in innovation outputs, particularly in knowledge and technology.
Compared to its East African peers, Kenya topped the list followed by Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi respectively.
Meanwhile, Switzerland retained its previous position after emerging as the most innovative country globally and garnering 67.5 points.
Other countries in the top ten included Sweden, the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Korea, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.
Additionally, Burundi, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger and Angola emerged bottom of the list respectively.
The latest report comes months after President William Ruto pledged to create a conducive environment that supports innovation in the country.
Ruto while speaking during the Innovation Challenge and Awards ceremony in Nairobi in March this year said that programmes such as the Presidential Innovation Challenge and Award, the Hustler Fund, the Youth Enterprise Fund and the Women Fund played a pivotal role in providing funding for ideas, talents and other ventures.
“As a government, we are committed to innovative mindsets across all facets of our administration,” Ruto said.
