Over the years, merchants on agency banking platforms have played an important role in bringing the banking system closer to people. They also played a key role during Nigeria's cash crunch in Q1 2023. Despite their importance, there have been reports of people using them to commit fraud, prompting the government's recent decision to have all POS agents registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. As of March 2024, 2.69 million POS terminals had been deployed, including those used as payment options.

• VAT revenue in naira has consistently grown over the years, hitting an all-time high of ₦3.64 trillion in 2023.
• The dollar value of VAT revenue declined despite the increase in naira terms, dropping from $5.88 billion in 2022 to $5.44 billion in 2023.
• Over the last decade, VAT revenue in naira has grown at an impressive CAGR of 20.18%, while its dollar value grew at a much lower 5.48%, showing the impact of currency devaluation.
• 2023 saw one of the largest year-on-year increases in VAT revenue in naira, but the corresponding drop in dollar value indicates that exchange rate volatility are eroding real revenue gains.
• Nigeria’s revenue collection efforts are improving, but the decline in dollar value highlights the need for economic stability and currency strength.
• This trend reflects a broader issue in Nigeria’s economy - higher local earnings do not necessarily translate into increased global purchasing power.
• With VAT being a major non-oil revenue source, policymakers must focus on stabilizing the exchange rate to maximize the real impact of revenue growth.

The FAAC's revenue distribution from 2017 to August 2023 highlights the dominance of Delta, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Bayelsa states in allocations. Despite Lagos' economic prominence, it ranked fifth. Here is the distribution of revenue among states between 2017 and August 2023.

The Global Innovation Index 2024 reveals a striking contrast in innovation performance between countries globally and across Africa. Switzerland leads the global rankings with an impressive score of 67.5, followed by Sweden (64.5) and the USA (62.4), highlighting their sustained investments in research, development, and technological advancement.

In Africa, Mauritius takes the top spot with a score of 30.5, followed closely by Morocco (28.8) and South Africa (28.3). However, even Africa's most innovative nations achieve less than half the score of global leaders, indicating a significant innovation gap.

Nigeria ranks 15th in the African ranking and 113th globally, out of 133 countries, with a score of 17.1.

Nigeria's GDP grew by 3.1% in 2022, with at least 17 of its industries recording less than 5% growth individually. The oil refining industry experienced the least growth, contributing ₦11.2 billion — 42% less than ₦19.3 billion in 2021.

The 2024 Global Peace Index reveals a decline in peacefulness in 97 countries, the highest since the index began.

Nigeria is among the nations affected by regional conflicts and rising violence. With a peace index score of 2.91, Nigeria is facing increasing challenges.

A deteriorating peace score impacts foreign investment and economic stability. Global economic losses due to violence reached $19.1 trillion in 2023.