KIGALI, 11 September 2019 – The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) together with the Rwandan Ministry of ICT and Innovation (MINICT) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM) host a National Innovation Ecosystem Architecture Workshop.
For five consecutive years, Rwanda has outperformed on its innovation performance relative to its level of development as evidenced in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2019. During the opening address given by Mr. Emmanuel Rugomboka, Counsellor, Regional Bureau for Africa of WIPO, and Hon. Minister Paula Ingabire, representative of the Government of Rwanda, it was highlighted that Rwanda is keen to continue this positive innovation journey and improve its GII ranking and innovation performance further in the years to come.
Sacha Wunsch-Vincent, GII Co-Editor and Head of the WIPO Composite Indicators Section, presented the methodology, data sources, data collection and framework for the GII, as well as their implications on Rwanda’s GII ranking. He discussed the overall Rwandan innovation ecosystem’s opportunities and challenges, while proposing some concrete policy priorities and some suggestions on how to further innovation metrics. Dr. Alfred Radauer from Technopolis Group Austria also highlighted some preliminary findings of his analysis of the Rwandan innovation ecosystem as an external consultant for the country.