The recently released Global Innovation Index (GII) 2016 painted a poor outlook for innovation in Nigeria. According to the report,19 African countries rank higher than Nigeria. Furthermore, the country ranked Nigeria 114th out of 128 countries that were surveyed and considered to be innovating and thinking ahead.
The African countries that performed better than Nigeria on the list include Mauritius, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ghana. On the other hand, Nigeria ranked higher than Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Niger, Cameroun, Zambia, Togo and Guinea.
According to the report, Nigeria performed below its level of development; noting that Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Uganda stand out for being innovation achievers at least four times in the past five years.
According to the report, ICT access and use in Nigeria stand at 28.2 per cent and 18. 1 per cent respectively, with government’s online service and e-participation at 30.7 per cent and 33.3 per cent respectively, which it described as low.
