Traffic-light assessment of AU 1% GERD target progress · Section 4: Government Policy
| Country | R&D % GDP | National STI Policy | AU 1% Status | Key Gap / Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 1.02% | Yes | Target Met ✓ | Only African country to meet the AU target. Now needs to diversify beyond public-sector spend and sustain momentum post-2023.
Source: UNESCO UIS 2023 |
| Kenya | ~0.81% | Yes | Below Target | Driven by expanding tech sector and government development plans. Private sector R&D share remains low.
AfDB / DSI data; Research Reporter BETA-68 |
| South Africa | ~0.60% ↓ | Yes | Below Target (Declining) | Was 0.85% in 2022. Falling public investment; National Research Foundation under severe funding pressure.
DSI data 2023; AfDB |
| Morocco | 0.71–0.75% | Yes | Below Target | Sustained investment in universities and applied research. Applied research commercialisation pipeline remains weak.
UNESCO UIS |
| Tunisia | ~0.62% | Yes | Below Target | 25 TTOs in operation — official assessments describe them as having produced "no significant impact on economic development." Brain drain offsetting research capacity gains. |
| Algeria | ~0.46% | In Development | Below Target | Government-funded; hydrocarbons R&D dominant. Limited private sector innovation investment. |
| Nigeria | ~0.15% | In Development | Critically Below | Africa's largest economy spending less than one-sixth of the AU target. NITDA grants are the primary (insufficient) bridge between academia and industry.
Research Reporter BETA-68; UNESCO UIS |
| Ghana | Data limited | Yes | Unknown | Insufficient GERD tracking. National Research Fund legislated 2020 ($50M) — still not operational mid-2024.
AU Commission 2024; Ghana GNRF record |
| Ethiopia | ~0.19% (est.) | Yes | Critically Below | Rapid university expansion but R&D infrastructure nascent. Data limited. AAU formalised innovation policy only in 2022.
Data limited; AU Commission 2024 |
| Angola | ~0.03% | No | Critically Below | Near-zero investment despite oil revenues. An upper-middle-income economy that has chosen not to direct resources toward knowledge production. |
| Cameroon | ~0.38% (est.) | In Development | Unknown | Part of new AU STI Coalition (with SA, Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco) but no published GERD baseline. Francophone research hub. |
Sources: UNESCO UIS GERD database; African Development Bank (AfDB) Human Capital and Knowledge Economy reports; AU Commission STISA-2024 assessment; DSI South Africa; OECD DAC ODA data. Note: 35 of 54 African countries lack consistent GERD data (AU Commission, 2024). Figures reflect latest available year. Research Reporter verified: Egypt 1.02%, Kenya ~0.81%, SA ~0.60% (declining from 0.85%), Nigeria ~0.15%, Angola ~0.03%.