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Mauritius, Morocco, and South Africa lead Africa’s innovation race in 2025
  • Mauritius leads Africa with the highest GII score (32.5), ranking 53rd globally out of 139 countries.
  • North Africa dominates the top 5, with Morocco and Tunisia both strong performers.
  • Sub-Saharan Africa’s bright spots include South Africa, Seychelles, Botswana, and Senegal.
  • Nigeria is 105th globally (21.1), highlighting Africa’s uneven innovation capacity.

South Africa leads Africa in travel and tourism competitiveness, ranking 55th worldwide
  • South Africa leads Africa on the 2024 Global Travel & Tourism Index, ranking 55th worldwide with a TTI score of 3.99.
  • Mauritius and Egypt follow closely, placing 57th and 61st globally, both scoring just below 4.0, showing strong competitiveness.
  • North Africa dominates the list, with Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia all making the top 10, highlighting the region’s strategic tourism appeal.
  • Rwanda and Namibia stand out despite being ranked lower globally (93rd and 95th), reflecting progress in tourism development in smaller economies.

Africa secured just 1.5% of the US Skilled Worker (H-1B) Visas in 2024 — Nigeria tops the list
  • Nigeria ranked first in Africa, with 880 H-1B visas issued in FY 2024, far ahead of Ghana (499) and Egypt (364).
  • East and Southern Africa featured prominently, with Kenya (320), South Africa (208), and Zimbabwe (132) among the top 10.
  • North African representation was modest, with Morocco (78) and Egypt (364) being the only countries in the region on the list.
  • Despite these numbers, Africa’s collective total is marginal globally, especially compared to India’s ~150,000 issuances and China’s large volumes.
  • President Donald Trump’s $100,000 fee for new U.S. H-1B skilled worker visas will have limited impact on Africa, which has historically received only a small fraction of these visas.

Comoros imposed Africa’s highest corporate tax at 50%, while most countries stayed at or below 30%
  • Comoros stands out with a corporate tax rate of 50%, the highest on the continent and far above the regional norm.
  • Chad and Equatorial Guinea follow at 35%, while Morocco and Cameroon set rates at 33%.
  • A broad cluster of 17 African countries, including Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Sudan, hold steady at the 30% rate.
  • All other African economies not listed apply corporate tax rates below 30%.

South Africa leads Africa in internet speed at 42.4 Mbps
  • South Africa sets the benchmark with the fastest average download speed (42.42 Mbps), more than double Morocco’s (19.61 Mbps).
  • Southern African countries dominate the top half of the ranking, with South Africa, Eswatini, Botswana, Lesotho, and Madagascar all featuring strongly.
  • Rwanda and Mauritius show East Africa’s progress, with average speeds above 30 Mbps, signalling solid digital infrastructure growth.
  • Wide disparities persist, with the gap between the highest (South Africa) and lowest (Morocco) averaging over 22 Mbps.

South Africa led Africa’s bond market with $328.8 billion [in] volume and nearly 3,000 issuances
  • South Africa is the clear leader, recording a bond market volume of $328.8 billion and 2,952 issuances, far ahead of all other African economies.
  • Egypt and Morocco follow as strong contenders with bond volumes of $188.8 billion and $116.4 billion, respectively, though both trail South Africa by wide margins.
  • Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria, and Nigeria represent the mid-tier, each exceeding $65 billion, showing notable regional financial activity.
  • Smaller markets like Tunisia and Angola feature relatively lower volumes ($16.9 billion and $28.4 billion) but maintain significant issuance activity.

South Africa controlled nearly 70% of Africa's $63.6 billion insurance market as of 2023; Nigeria trailed with only 1.7%
  • South Africa led the continent with a massive 68.2% of Africa’s insurance market, far ahead of all others combined.
  • Morocco (8.7%), Egypt (4.0%), and Kenya (3.6%) were the next largest.
  • Major economies, such as Nigeria (1.7%) and Algeria (1.9%), played surprisingly small roles in insurance penetration.
  • “Others” refers to the rest of Africa, which held just 6.4%, indicating a heavy concentration in a few markets.

Mauritius leads Africa with 63% millionaire growth while Nigeria declines by 47% over the last decade
  • Mauritius is the fastest-growing hub with a 63% surge in millionaires, highlighting its rising financial services sector and favourable investment climate.
  • Rwanda (+48%) and Morocco (+40%) also show strong upward trends, driven by economic diversification and political stability.
  • Nigeria (-47%), Angola (-36%), and Algeria (-23%) recorded the steepest declines, reflecting oil dependence, currency challenges, and political instability.
  • Africa overall saw a -5% dip, showing that while select countries are thriving, the continent’s wealth distribution has shifted unevenly.

Only 18 African countries have satellites in space, with Egypt and South Africa accounting for nearly one-third of the continent’s total
  • Egypt and South Africa dominate Africa’s space presence, with 14 and 13 satellites respectively, accounting for nearly one-third of the continent’s total.
  • Nigeria (7), Algeria (6), and Morocco (5) form the next tier, highlighting North and West Africa as emerging hubs in satellite development.
  • The majority of other African countries with satellites, including Rwanda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Djibouti and Angola, have two satellites each.
  • Out of 54 African nations, only 18 have any satellites in orbit, underscoring the vast disparity in space investment and technological capacity across the continent.

Nigeria tops Africa’s women’s football with 1,630.83 points and ranks 36th globally
  • Nigeria leads Africa with 1,630.83 points, ranked 36th globally, maintaining their long-standing supremacy in Africa's women’s football.
  • South Africa remains second, 165 points behind Nigeria, consolidating their position after consistent WAFCON performances.
  • North Africa's breakthrough is evident with Morocco at 3rd, driven by recent World Cup appearances and continental success.
  • There is tight competition in mid-table, with Zambia, Cameroon, and Ghana separated by less than 12 points.

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