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South Africa hosts 41,100 millionaires, nearly six times Nigeria’s 7,200 millionaires
  • South Africa dominates with 41,100 millionaires, accounting for more than 1 in 3 African millionaires, far ahead of any other nation.
  • Egypt (14,800) and Morocco (7,500) round out the top three, highlighting North Africa’s wealth concentration.
  • Nigeria (7,200) and Kenya (6,800) confirm West and East Africa’s growing wealth hubs, though still far below South Africa.
  • Mauritius (4,800) and Seychelles (500) rank surprisingly high relative to population size, showing their role as finance and wealth management hubs.

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 holds the top spot in Africa's women's basketball rankings with 640.1 points, and is ranked 8th globally
  • Nigeria’s D’Tigress leads Africa with 640.1 points, holding 8th place in the world rankings.
  • Mali sits in second with 343.7 points, more than 290 points behind Nigeria.
  • Senegal, Mozambique, and Cameroon complete Africa’s top five, all ranked within the global top 40.
  • South Sudan enters the continental top 10 at 10th, while ranking 55th globally.

Sierra Leone, Niger, and Ethiopia lead Africa’s shadow economies, with over 50% of each nation's GDP tied to informal activity
  • Estimates place Sierra Leone at the top, with about 64.5% of its GDP tied to the shadow economy.
  • Niger (56.3%) and Ethiopia (50.2%) are the only other nations where over half of economic activity is informal.
  • Even larger economies like Nigeria (30.0%) are estimated to have nearly a third of their GDP in unrecorded transactions.
  • Across the listed countries, estimates range from 28.1% to 64.5%, revealing deep but varied informality in African economies.

Uganda and Mauritius offer Africa’s cheapest 1GB data at $0.02 while Madagascar ranks highest in the top 20 at $0.32
  • Uganda and Mauritius offer the most affordable mobile data in Africa, with 1GB for just $0.02 over a 30-day period.
  • Comoros, Ghana, and South Africa also rank among the cheapest, each offering 1GB of data for $0.07 to $0.10.
  • Nigeria is among the top 10, with a relatively low cost of $0.13 per 1GB, placing it below the continental average.
  • Madagascar, at $0.32 per 1GB, closes out the top 20, which reflects the upper boundary of affordable data across African nations.

Over the past 30 years, Kenya has topped global elephant ivory seizures. Nigeria ranks 7th with 23,031 kg confiscated
  • Kenya recorded the highest ivory seizure among the top 10 countries, with 130,432 kg confiscated over the 34-year period.
  • China and Hong Kong follow closely, with 106,069 kg and 75,707 kg seized, respectively, showing their long standing roles as critical players in the global ivory network.
  • Vietnam and Singapore, both located in Southeast Asia, had substantial seizure records; 71,256 kg and 29,882 kg, indicating persistent trafficking through the region.
  • Nigeria leads West Africa in ivory confiscations within the top 10, with 23,031 kg, signalling its importance as a key node in the transit chain.
  • All countries listed in the top 10 are either source, transit, or destination points in the global ivory supply chain, reflecting how widespread and interconnected the illegal trade remains.

The former Sudan led Africa’s sesame seed oil production for 48 years, with the largest volume of 69,300 tonnes produced in 2009
Key Takeaways:
  • The former Sudan was the leading sesame seed oil producer in Africa for 48 years, from 1961 to 2011.
  • Nigeria topped Africa’s production rankings between 2012–2014 and 2016–2018.
  • The Central African Republic led sesame oil production in Africa for five years in a recent period.
  • East African countries, particularly Tanzania and Uganda, have seen significant growth in sesame oil production since the 1990s.
  • Six countries—Former Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique, and the Central African Republic—have consistently played leading roles in Africa’s sesame seed oil production from 1961 to 1981 before the inclusion of some other African countries.
  • Following their separation, both Sudan and South Sudan have remained among the top sesame oil producers in Africa.
  • The top producers of sesame seed oil in Africa are mainly from Sub-Sahara African countries.
  • In SSA, sesame is often grown by small-scale farmers for export purposes.

Nigeria has maintained the top spot for US international students from Africa since the 2007/08 academic year
Since the 2007/08 academic year, Nigeria has consistently held the top spot for the number of African international students in the US. Before this, Kenya and Egypt also led in certain periods. This trend highlights the evolving landscape of African students pursuing education in the US over the decades.

Ghana sees a 45% increase in the number of its students in the US — Africa's highest growth rate
Nigeria remains the leading African country of origin for students in the US, with over 20,000 enrolled this year. Ghana, however, recorded the continent's fastest growth rate at 45%. This increase of over 2,900 students brought Ghana’s total to nearly 9,400, making it the second-largest source of African students in the US. Nigeria also saw a 13.5% rise, adding more than 2,380 students year-over-year. Overall, the number of students from African countries in the US grew by nearly 12% in the 2023/24 academic year.

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