Namibia emerged among the top ten innovative economies in Africa, according to the recent World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) 16th edition, the Global Innovation Index (GII) report of 2023.
The GII reports have been produced annually since 2007, and are aimed at providing insightful data on innovation, to track major innovation developments at the country and regional level, which in tum assist policymakers in evaluating their innovation performance and making informed innovation policy decisions.
The 2023 GII report reveals the most innovative economies in the world, ranking the innovation performance of 132 economies, and showcasing their innovation strengths and weaknesses, as well as highlighting gaps in innovation metrics. The United Nations General Assembly recognizes the GII as an authoritative benchmarking tool for measuring innovation in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In addition to the overall value of GII, the seven (7) GII pillars are: Institutions, Human capital and research, Infrastructure, Market sophistication, Business sophistication, Knowledge and technology outputs, and Creative outputs.
At a global level Namibia is ranked 96th retaining the same position she holds in 2022.
In Africa, Namibia performed brilliantly and took the 9th position. Mauritius is ranked the first, followed by South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Botswana, Egypt, Cape Verde, Senegal, and then Namibia. We continue our efforts to ensure the National System of Innovation of Namibia is impeccable to reach the target set in the fifth (5th) National Development Plan (NDP5), to be aligned with the upcoming NDP 6.
“In light of this, the Ministry of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation (MHETI) wishes to take this opportunity to express our immense gratitude to all implementing partners and stakeholders in the innovation landscape for their commendable contribution towards this national landmark,” Acting Executive Director in the Ministry, Dr Lisho Mundia said.