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# [MAURITIUS] Innovation: for the first time, the island breaks into the global Top 50 and leads Africa
- URL: https://businessoi.media/en/maurice-innovation-pour-la-premiere-fois-lile-integre-le-top-50-mondial-et-domine-le-classement-africain-en/
- Published: 2026-10-01T08:50:50.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-01T08:50:50.000Z
- Description: For the first time in its history, Mauritius enters the global Top 50 for innovation: 50th in the WIPO GII 2026, Africa's leading economy with a score of 34.1 points. Madagascar and Rwanda also make strong gains.
- Author: Emmanuel TAOCHY
- Tags: Maurice, Tech, Économie, Flash de mi-journée, #en

Mauritius has just crossed a symbolic and strategic threshold. In the Global Innovation Index 2026 (GII), published in late September by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Mauritius breaks into the **global Top 50** for the first time — ranking **50th** out of 133 evaluated economies. And it retains, unsurprisingly, its position as Africa's most innovative economy, ahead of Morocco (54th) and South Africa (63rd).

## 34.1 points and three places gained in one year

With a score of **34.1 points** out of 100, Mauritius gains three positions compared to the 2025 edition (53rd). Two pillars drive its GII 2026 performance: *institutions* (34th globally) and *market sophistication* (38th globally). Structural assets — legal stability, financial sector depth, credit access, and governance quality — that place the archipelago on par with certain Central European economies in terms of an enabling environment for economic innovation. The services sector — finance, real estate, technology — remains the primary engine of this dynamic.

## A continent in motion, but still lagging

The 2026 GII edition covers **35 African nations**, of which **16 improved their rankings**. Rwanda records the strongest jump (+8 places), followed by Madagascar (+7 places) — trajectories reflecting growing investment in institutional capacity and R&D across the region. Tunisia (71st), Botswana (82nd) and Egypt (83rd) complete the African top 10.

However, WIPO notes that Africa as a whole still lags behind other emerging regions in Asia or Latin America. Scaling up investment in education, research, and entrepreneurial ecosystems remains a structural priority for the continent.

## Why it matters

A Top 50 global ranking is more than an academic distinction. It is a legible signal for multinationals and investment funds weighing their regional bases. For the Indian Ocean, a Mauritius ranked alongside Slovenia or Portugal on innovation credibilises the entire zone as a destination for capital and talent. A ripple effect from which neighbouring economies — Madagascar, Réunion, Comoros — stand to gain.

*Sources: WIPO — Global Innovation Index 2026, Agence Ecofin — 30 September 2026.*