Ghana led the continent in gold production in 2023, producing 135.11 tonnes, 13.5% of Africa’s total.
Four countries (Ghana, Mali, South Africa, and Burkina Faso) each produced over 95 tonnes, together accounting for 443 tonnes or 44.1% of the continent’s output.
West African countries dominated the rankings, with eight nations from the region among the top 15 producers.
The West African countries in the top 15 combined contributed 525.55 tonnes, more than half (52.3%) of Africa's total gold production.
South Africa ranked third in Africa with 104.29 tonnes.
Burkina Faso ranked fourth while contributing almost 10% of Africa’s gold production.
Mozambique has the fewest individuals requiring support from the United Nations.
The UN plans to help 3.6 million of the 7.8 million people in Nigeria who require assistance.
Sudan is the only Northern African country recorded by the UN as having people in need.
In East and Southern Africa, the countries with the highest and lowest numbers of individuals in need are Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, respectively.
The Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger have the highest and lowest number of individuals needing assistance, respectively, in West and Central Africa.
Sudan is the highest recipient of UN humanitarian aid among African nations in need of humanitarian support and the only North African country receiving such assistance.
Nigeria is among the top nine African nations that will each receive humanitarian aid worth more than $700 million.
Zambia and Malawi will receive humanitarian support of less than $100 million each.
Six countries among the African countries facing humanitarian crises are to receive UN support worth more than $1 billion each.
Sudan requires the largest amount of humanitarian assistance, exceeding $4.16 billion.
The Syrian Arab Republic is second on the list of recipients, requiring $4 billion in humanitarian aid.
A total of eleven top countries are set to receive over $1 billion each in support, with the leading six countries requiring more than $2.4 billion each.
The top ten countries account for over 75% of total global humanitarian needs, which exceeds $32 billion.
Nigeria held the top spot in global cashew production from 2001 to 2010. This highlights a period of strong agricultural output, though the country has since been overtaken by India and Côte d'Ivoire. In recent years, Côte d'Ivoire has emerged as the world’s leading cashew producer, holding the top spot for three consecutive years as of 2022. This shift highlights the country's growing role in global cashew production. India and Mozambique once dominated global production, with India leading for 35 of the past 62 years.
Rwanda is performing relatively well in terms of governance and rule of law, leading sub-Saharan Africa for the third consecutive year with a score of 0.63 in the 2024 Rule of Law Index. Namibia (0.61) and Mauritius (0.60) closely follow, showcasing relatively stronger legal frameworks.
At the lower end, Nigeria, Congo, and Gabon score 0.40, highlighting persistent governance challenges.
Globally, Denmark tops the list of 142 countries, with a score of 0.90, while Venezuela ranks last at 0.26, emphasising the gap between SSA's highest performers and global leaders. This mix of progress and struggles illustrates the varied state of governance across the region.
Africa's sanitation crisis is alarming, with 17 of the top 20 countries having the highest open defecation rates.
Eritrea (67%), Niger (65%), and Chad (63%) lead, putting millions at risk of disease.
Even Nigeria, the most populous African country, has 18% of its population practising it.
