List of 10 Most Innovative Countries in Africa As Nigeria’s Ranking Is Shocking Despite N2trn Budget in 4yrs
- Nigeria has been ranked as one of the least innovative countries in Africa in a new report
- Nigeria's ranking is not only shocking but captures the failure of the government to prioritize investments in scientific research and development
- South Africa is listed as the second most inventive country in 2022, with Botswana and Kenya coming in third and fourth, respectively
A report by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has revealed a list of the most innovative countries in the world for 2022.
The evaluated innovation levels were measured across 130 economies to determine the most innovative markets.
Nigeria made the list but ranked far below its peers in Africa and globally.
Source: Facebook
BusinessDay reports that the 2022 Global Innovation Index (GII) measured each economy's innovative capacity and output by focusing on a long list of criteria.
PAY ATTENTION: Subscribe to Digital Talk newsletter to receive must-know business stories and succeed BIG!
The Criteria for measuring most innovative country in Africa
- Institutions
- Human capital and research
- Infrastructure
- Market sophistication
- Business sophistication’
- Knowledge and technology outputs
- Creative outputs
How do Nigeria's ranks compare to other African countries?
In the list, Nigeria, the biggest economy on the continent, is ranked number 15th among African countries missing out on the top 10 again as in previous years.
Here are the top 10 most-innovative countries in Africa 2022
- Mauritius
- South Africa
- Kenya
- Cabo Verde
- Tanzania
- Namibia
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Botswana
- Malawi
Why is Nigeria not among the top 10 most innovative countries in Africa?
Nigeria was majorly ranked low because of the less priority government gives to research and development.
According to a report by Tribune, the federal government has spent over two trillion on research and development in four years with little to show.
Why the sum seems huge, the report quoted sources saying that the money only existed in the budget.
It added that out of the N2.009 trillion budgeted, only a little over N200 billion was actually released to public universities and colleges of education a key pillar in research and development.
More worrying is that of the monies allocated to the institutions, almost 70 percent go to personal costs and recurrent expenditures.
Only a fraction of that finds its way to actual research activities, say scientists who wouldn’t want to be identified.
List of 63 other countries Nigeria imports fuel from
Meanwhile, in another report, the National Bureau of Statistics has revealed that NNPC has spent over N1.2 trillion importing petrol in three months.
The petrol was imported from different countries around the world which include the Niger republic.
In the last few days, many Nigerians have been grappling with petrol scarcity as queues have surfaced in filling stations across the country.
Source: Legit.ng
