Between 2018 and 2021, adult literacy rates across African nations exhibited significant disparities. Seychelles and South Africa led with literacy rates of 96% and 95%, respectively, indicating a high proportion of literate adults. Conversely, Chad had the lowest literacy rate during this period.
These statistics underscore the uneven progress in educational attainment across Africa, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to improve literacy in lower-performing nations.
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.
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.
Founders of Millionaire West African Startups (MWAS) were predominantly male-dominated, as 90.2% of MWAS founders are male. Get the West African Startup Decade Report to learn more.
World AIDS Day is celebrated on December 1 every year as a day dedicated to raising awareness about the AIDS epidemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. In 2020, there were an estimated 37.6 million people infected with HIV globally, and 27.4 million people living with HIV receiving treatment.
In 2020, 5.2 million metric tons of cocoa were produced globally, with four African countries — Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon — accounting for 68% of the produce.
Between 2017 and 2020, Nigeria’s announced Foreign Direct Investment figures were highest in 2018. However, there have been significant differences between investment announcements and FDI inflow over the years. Here are the FDI announcements and FDI inflow from 2017 to 2020. A destination analysis shows that Bayelsa State leads investment destinations with 36% of the total investments.
