Rwanda Development Board CEO Clare Akamanzi has been named among two new advisory board members of the Global Innovation Index (GII), an annual report ranking countries by their capacity for, and success in, innovation.

Akamanzi was appointed along with Heizo Takenaka, Director of the Center for Global Innovation Studies in Toyo University and former Minister of Japan.

GII's advisory board was established in 2011 to provide advice on research and assist with the dissemination of its messages and results.

It is a select group of leading international practitioners with expertise in the realm of innovation.

Its members come from diverse geographical and institutional backgrounds and participate in their personal capacity. 

For 2020, the GII Advisory Board is comprised of 17 members in total, consisting of high profile figures including the Director General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay, Houlin Zhao, ITO Secretary General and Fabiola Gianotti, Head of European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

Created in 2007, the GII report is co-published by Cornell University, a US-based Ivy League research university, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized UN agency.

The 2020 index is expected Wednesday, September 2, marking the 13th edition.

This year, the GII model includes 131 economies, which represent 93.5 percent of the world’s population.

With the theme "Who Will Finance Innovation?" this edition sheds light on the state of innovation financing by investigating the evolution of financing mechanisms for entrepreneurs and other innovators.

It as well is expected to point out the remaining challenges - including in the context of the economic slowdown induced by the Covid-19 crisis.

Recently, Akamanzi also was appointed one of the founding members of the new entity created by WHO to broaden its donor base.