[News]Morocco Ranks 75th in 2020 Global Innovation Index

[Revo]

Morocco slipped one place from the 2019 report.

 

 

Rabat – The Global Innovation Index ranked Morocco 75th in its newest report with a total of 28.97 points out of 100.

Morocco slipped one place from the 2019 ranking, where it placed 74th.

 

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in partnership with Cornell University and the European Institute of Business Administration released the report.

 

The report takes into account 80 different indicators, including human capital and research, infrastructure, creativity index, and technology.

 

In Africa, the ranking acknowledged a lack of science and technology activities, with limited science-industry linkages and low absorptive capacity firms.

 

It points out that while some African economies rank in the top 75 in the list, citing for example Morocco, South Africa, and Tunisia, other economies on the same continent rank “much lower.”

 

The report sees, however, improvement in research bases in Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria.

Mauritius (52nd) and South Africa (60th) lead in innovation indicators in sub-Saharan Africa, followed by Tunisia (65th) and Morocco (75th) in the top 80.

 

“All economies in the lowest ranks of the continent are Sub-Saharan African economies, with Ethiopia (127th), the Niger (128th) and Guinea (130th) trailing.”

 

The ranking shows Morocco fourth in Africa, and fifth in the Arab world, behind the UAE (34th), Tunisia (65th), Saudi Arabia (66th), Qatar (70th), and Kuwait (78th).

 

The Global Innovation Index shows that Morocco is among countries seeking to boost economic development, diversification, and living standards.

 

The WIPO ranking also highlights how the North African country started supporting the rise of venture capital industries to finance startups and create state investment vehicles.

 

“Developing countries are also following suit: in the past two years alone, Jordan, Morocco, and Senegal have all launched state-owned funds to boost start-up financing. In these and other lower-income countries, investing in start-ups has also become a cornerstone of public innovation policies.” 

 

Following providing details about Morocco’s innovation profile, the report detailed the score Morocco received in each indicator.

 

In the institutions criteria for innovation, Morocco received 60.8 points, with a ranking of 77.

 

Morocco earned fewer points (25.9) in human capital and research, and ranked 81st.

 

Infrastructure in the country received 39.2 points, with a ranking of 71, while knowledge and technology outputs received 21.9 points (60th).

 

Creative outputs received 19.0 points in Morocco (75th), and business sophistication 18.4 points (107th).

 

The innovation index gave Morocco a score of 43.2 in market sophistication with a ranking of 88.