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Seychelles tops Africa’s 2024 Infrastructure Index with a near-perfect score of 99.77
  • Seychelles leads Africa with a near-perfect AIDI score of 99.77.
  • Egypt and Libya follow with strong performances of 91.43 and 85.84, respectively.
  • Tunisia ranks 6th with a score of 74.18, showing consistent infrastructure growth.
  • Morocco and Algeria, despite being major economies, scored below 75.
  • Botswana rounds out the top 10 with a score of 42.13, nearly double Nigeria’s score.
  • Nigeria, despite its economic size, scored just 25.70, far below the continental leaders, highlighting major infrastructure gaps.

Seychelles’ infrastructure score more than doubled in 20 years, hitting 99.77 in 2024
  • Seychelles' AIDI score more than doubled between 2003 (47.43) and 2024 (99.77).
  • The score crossed the 70-point mark in 2009 and jumped past 90 in 2013.
  • Between 2012 and 2024, the country maintained an AIDI score above 89, showing long-term infrastructure strength.
  • From 2003 to 2008, the score rose steadily each year, averaging more than 2 points annually.
  • The last five years (2020–2024) showed minimal fluctuation, with scores above 98 every year.
  • This performance positioned Seychelles as Africa’s most infrastructure-ready nation in 2024.

During Goodluck Jonathan's administration, Nigeria's AIDI score saw a notable increase, with a CAGR of 6.84%
  • Goodluck Jonathan's era (2010–2015) delivered the highest AIDI growth, with a CAGR of 6.84%, more than double that of his successor.
  • Muhammadu Buhari’s administration saw steady but slower growth, with a CAGR of 2.63%, increasing the score from 20.60 in 2016 to 25.70 in 2024.
  • Musa Yar’Adua’s brief tenure (2007–2010) still managed a solid CAGR of 4.26%, indicating promising momentum that was cut short.
  • Nigeria's AIDI score rose from 8.61 in 2003 to 25.70 in 2024, nearly tripling in two decades.
  • Obasanjo’s tenure saw the slowest growth, with only a 2.59% CAGR, suggesting limited infrastructure expansion in the early 2000s.
  • The fastest absolute annual increase occurred between 2010 and 2014, when scores jumped by over 2 points per year.
  • Despite steady growth, Nigeria's 2024 score of 25.70 still places it far from top performers in Africa, showing that significant infrastructure gaps remain.

Pius IX, O.F.S., held the longest pontificate since the 15th century to 2025, with 11,465 days
  • Pius IX served the longest papacy from the 15th century to 2025, with 11,465 days, over three decades.
  • John Paul II comes in second with 9,658 days, guiding the Church through some of the most politically charged eras of the 20th century.
  • Leo XIII is third, serving 9,275 days, during a time of major global industrial and philosophical shifts.
  • Only three popes have served more than 9,000 days.
  • Modern popes like Francis I and Paul VI managed to serve over 4,700 and 5,500 days, respectively, reflecting continued longevity in the modern Church.
  • The 17th and 18th centuries saw multiple popes—Urban VIII, Clement XI, and Pius VI—with pontificates exceeding 7,000 days.

Burkina Faso's infrastructure development, as indicated by the AIDI, reached its highest recorded score of 22.11 in 2024, highlighting substantial infrastructure deficits
  • Burkina Faso's AIDI score increased by over 10 points between 2003 (11.36) and 2024 (22.11).
  • The country experienced notable improvements between 2010 and 2012, with scores rising from 12.72 to 14.25.
  • The period between 2018 and 2024 showed the most consistent yearly growth, climbing from 17.51 to 22.11.
  • Between 2007 and 2008, Burkina Faso saw one of its smallest improvements, with only a 0.38-point increase.
  • The country's AIDI score crossed the 15-point mark in 2013 and has not dropped below it since then.
  • Between 2019 and 2024 alone, Burkina Faso added nearly 5 points to its score, showing accelerated development efforts.
  • Despite positive growth, the 22.11 score in 2024 still reflects major infrastructure deficits when compared to an ideal score of 100.

Africa accounts for a small fraction of popes in the history of the papacy as of 2024, with only 3
  • Italy alone accounts for 217 popes, dominating papal history more than any other region or country.
  • France, the second-most represented, has had only 16 popes, which is fewer than one-tenth of Italy's total.
  • Germany and Syria have had 6 and 5 popes respectively, reflecting early and medieval Church dynamics.
  • Africa has had just 3 popes.
  • Modern nations like Argentina, Poland, and the Netherlands have produced only 1 pope each.
  • Israel (3), Greece (4), and Turkey (2) are notable for their ancient Christian histories but limited papal presence in modern times.

Liberia, the oldest African nation, is celebrating 177 years of independence since July 26, 1847
  • Gaining independence in 1847, Liberia has been free for 177 years, long before most African nations began their fight for sovereignty.
  • With only 13 years of independence, South Sudan remains the newest nation on the continent, still navigating the challenges of nation-building.
  • The difference between Liberia and South Sudan is 164 years, showing the vast timeline over which African nations gained independence.
  • The majority of African nations secured sovereignty between the 1950s and 1970s, marking the height of the decolonisation movement.
  • Countries like Zimbabwe (1980), Namibia (1990), and Eritrea (1993) faced prolonged struggles against colonial rule.
  • Despite Liberia’s long years of independence, it has faced civil wars and economic instability, showing that the length of sovereignty doesn’t always translate to political or economic strength.
  • While sovereignty marks a historic milestone, many African nations, especially younger ones like South Sudan, continue to grapple with political, economic, and developmental challenges even decades after gaining independence.

International Women's Day 2025
  • There are nearly 600 million women aged 15-24 worldwide, with 90% living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), making them a significant share of the global population.
  • 37 countries grant women less than half of the legal rights of men, affecting 500 million women, while globally, women enjoy less than two-thirds of the legal rights available to men.
  • Closing the gender gap in employment and entrepreneurship could boost global GDP by over 20%, and eliminating the gap within a decade could double the global growth rate.
  • Women hold just 1 in 5 corporate board positions, partly because less than 20% of countries require gender-sensitive public procurement, excluding them from a $10 trillion-a-year opportunity.
  • Women earn only 77 cents for every $1 paid to men, while 92 countries lack equal pay laws. Additionally, 20 countries prohibit women from night work and 45 ban women from “dangerous” jobs.
  • By 2030, an estimated 8% of the world’s female population (342.4 million women and girls) will still live on less than $2.15 a day, with 220.9 million in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Climate change could push 158.3 million more women and girls into poverty by 2050, which is 16 million more than men and boys under a worst-case scenario.
  • By 2020, food insecurity was projected to impact 236 million more women and girls, compared to 131 million more men and boys.
  • By 2050, women will still spend 2.5 times more hours per day on unpaid care work than men. If valued monetarily, women’s unpaid labor could exceed 40% of GDP in some countries.

Instant payment systems with cross-domain functionality are Africa’s most popular as of Q2 2024
  • Sovereign currency-backed instant payments are rare, suggesting limited adoption of central bank digital currency (CBDC) models.
  • Cross-domain instant payment systems are the most popular, showing a strong push for interoperability across financial platforms.
  • Instant payment systems with only bank participants are still widely used, indicating that traditional financial institutions remain central to digital transactions.
  • Some African countries operate multiple instant payment systems, enhancing financial access through diverse options.

₦1.9 trillion has been spent on the Presidency Amnesty Programme (PAP) since 2015, with over 68% expended in 2017
  • ₦1.9 trillion spent on the PAP from 2015 to 2024, a significant amount dedicated to reintegrating former militants and fostering peace in the Niger Delta.
  • 2017 saw an extraordinary spike with ₦1.3 trillion spent, which is over 68% of the entire decade’s spending.
  • Expenditure stabilized after 2017, maintaining a consistent ₦59.6 billion - ₦65 billion annually from 2018 to 2024.
  • 2024 spending (₦65 billion) reflects only the first three quarters, meaning the final total could be slightly higher.

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