Known for its Elephant Cement brand, Lafarge Africa is on its way to reaching its highest annual revenue in the past decade, with its 2024 9-month revenue outperforming full-year revenues for 2023.
Lafarge Africa's journey over six decades is a tale of growth, transformation, and significant milestones. From its roots as WAPCO in 1959 to its current position, the company’s evolution continues, with an acquisition by Huaxin Cement in 2024, pending regulatory approval.
Over the years, many African countries, including Nigeria, have experienced economic turbulence caused by fluctuating global markets and domestic challenges. However, amidst these challenges, there’s hope as IMF economic forecasts point toward growth.
According to the IMF, GDP per capita in Nigeria and Africa is projected to increase from 2025 after years of stagnation and decline. Nigeria’s GDP per capita fell sharply from $2,197 in 2022 to $877 in 2024. Encouragingly, growth is expected with projections of $1,047 for Nigeria by 2029, signaling a slow but steady improvement in living standards.
Nigeria’s GDP for 2024 is up by 3.2% so far, with key sectors driving the growth. In the first nine months of 2024, Finance and Insurance took the lead with a 30.3% increase, followed by Water Supply & Waste Management at 8.3%, and Mining and Quarrying with 5.7% growth.
These are the sectors leading Nigeria’s real GDP growth.
The Nigerian economy shows promise as the IMF projects an increase in the country's GDP growth, rising to 3.2% in 2025. This comes when projections show stagnant global growth at 3.2%, while sub-Saharan Africa outpaces other regions with an anticipated rise to 4.2% by 2025.
After the fuel subsidy was removed, the cost of bus fares for intracity journeys rose by 98% between May 2023 and June 2023. In just 18 months, fares increased by 39% significantly affecting commuters.
States' share of Nigeria's public debt has dropped from 20.5% in 2019 to 8.5% in 2024, while the federal government’s debt has risen to over 91% of the total, in dollar terms.
The FG's debt grew from $66.7 billion to $83.6 billion in this period, while the states' debt dropped from $17.2 billion in 2019 to $7.8 billion, marking a shift in borrowing dynamics at federal and state levels.
Notably, states and FCT debt decreased in dollar terms but increased in naira terms, while FG debt rose in both dollar and naira terms over the same period.
Nigeria’s public debt decreased in dollar terms between June 2023 and June 2024. However, when converted to naira, it jumped to ₦134.3 trillion, largely due to currency devaluation. This sharp increase in debt could lead to tighter budgets, potentially affecting public services and everyday costs for Nigerians.
Nigeria’s 13% oil derivation fund is primarily allocated to four states — Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Rivers — which collectively receive over 90% of the fund annually. This funding is crucial for developing these oil-producing states, with Delta State consistently receiving the largest share in recent years. Other states, including Abia, Anambra, Edo, Imo, Lagos, and Ondo, receive smaller portions.
The 13% derivation fund is part of Nigeria’s revenue-sharing formula aimed at compensating oil-producing states for oil extraction's environmental and infrastructural impacts.
Note: Small allocations to Soku and Gbetiokun are also included in "others".
Nigeria's tax-to-GDP ratio remains significantly lower than regional averages, showing a gap in revenue mobilisation. While OECD countries reached a tax-to-GDP ratio of 34.2% in 2021, and even the African regional average stood at 18.8%, Nigeria's tax revenue represented only 6.7% of its GDP. This disparity emphasises the need for strategic tax policy reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s fiscal capacity.
