Africa’s total cashew nut (in shell) production increased from 172,050 tonnes in 1961 to over 2.25 million tonnes in 2023, a growth of approximately 1,209%.
Western Africa has been the primary driver of this growth since the 1990s and now produces the largest share of cashew nuts in Africa.
Western Africa accounted for 84% of Africa’s total cashew nut production by 2023.
Middle Africa has maintained a minimal but consistent level of production.
Eastern Africa led production from the 1960s through the 1980s before being overtaken by Western Africa.
The most significant growth in Africa’s cashew production began in the 1990s.
Despite overall growth, cashew production in Africa has experienced periodic fluctuations.
Mostly due to their climate conditions, Southern and Northern Africa regions are less favourable for cashew production than other African regions.
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.
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.
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.
Nigeria was the seventh most populous nation in the world in 2020, with 206.1 million people. Projected to reach a population of 401.3 million by 2050, Nigeria will rank third after India (1st) and China (2nd). According to Institut national d'études démographiques' projections, Nigeria, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Egypt, Tanzania, and Kenya will be among the world’s top 20 most populous countries by 2050.
As of the end of September 2023, Starlink Nigeria had amassed a customer base of 11,207 active subscribers, growing 66% from 6,756 in June. It placed 4th in the market after Spectranet (113,747), Tizeti Network (19,126), and ipNX Nigeria (14,871).
MTN Nigeria has dominated the country's telecommunications market over the years, accounting for the largest market share. All four operators, apart from 9mobile, recorded a significant increase in their subscriber base between May 2014 and March 2024.
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.
The Petroleum Industry Bill passed in July 2021 is expected to transform the oil and gas industry. Nigeria's oil production dropped from 2.1m barrels per day in 2019 to 1.798m barrels per day in 2020. Here's a representation of the country's oil production over the years:
Despite the drop in production over the past decade, Nigeria remains Africa's largest oil-producing country. According to data from Trading Economics, it ranked 15th among the world's oil-producing countries as of June 2021. Here are the largest oil-producing countries in Africa:
The African Union Report on Labour Migration Statistics in Africa (Third Edition) indicates that Africa's labour force increased from 402.8 million in 2010 to an estimated 511.5 million in 2019. Here are Africa's labour force and working-age population from 2010 to 2019.
Nigerians can visit 19 visa-free countries and 26 visa-on-arrival countries, with varying durations of stay. Here is a breakdown of the number of visa-free and visa-on-arrival countries for Nigerians by region.
Seychelles, Mauritius, and South Africa lead other African countries in the number of visa-free countries their citizens can visit globally. Here are the most powerful passports in Africa by the number of visa-free countries citizens can visit in 2021.
According to the Global Peace Index 2021, South Sudan, Somalia, and DR Congo are Africa's least peaceful countries. As the world observes The International Day of Peace 2021, we present the continent's 20 least peaceful countries by their Global Peace Index 2021 score.
Africa has witnessed 83 coup attempts since 1990, 42 of which were successful. The latest, Sudan's military coup, occurred yesterday, Monday, October 25, 2021. Although rare today, coups still threaten democracy. Here are the attempted coups in Africa since 1990.
ASUU strikes have lasted a total of 742 days since 2010. The longest to date was the almost nine-month-long strike of 2020. With another academic strike looming, we give you the trend of all ASUU strikes by duration since 2010.
With assets worth ₦536 billion, Leadway Assurance was the leading insurance company by total assets as of 2022 — two times more assets than second-placed AIICO Insurance with ₦270 billion. These are the top ten insurance companies in Nigeria by total
assets as of 2022.
African countries imported products worth $694 billion in 2022, with South Africa, the continent's leading importer, bringing in products worth $111.9 billion, representing 16.1% of the total. Egypt followed with $79.7 billion, constituting 11.5%.
Between September 2022 to August 2023, 3 of Nigeria's mobile Internet providers saw a combined 8 million increase in their active mobile Internet subscribers, with MTN gaining the most, followed by Globacom and Airtel. 9mobile on the other hand, recorded almost 1 million decline.
1990-2000: In this decade, China and India accounted for over 50% of the world's total output, with other dominant rice producers being Indonesia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, with production figures falling between 20 and 30 million metric tons.
2001-2010: China and India remained the two top producers, with China producing 140 million metric tons annually and India 100 million metric tons annually.
2011-2020: China and India continue to lead at about 150 million and 105 million metric tons, respectively.
2021-2024: China and India continued to lead. China reached 144.62 million metric tons in 2023/2024, and India accounted for 137.83 million metric tons.
The arts, entertainment, and recreation sector contributed 4.12% to Nigeria’s GDP in 2020.
By 2025, this contribution is projected to rise modestly to 4.43%.
The growth rate maintains a steady pace, reaching 4.75% by 2030.
By 2050, the arts, entertainment, and recreation sector is projected to reach a 6.00% share of Nigeria’s GDP.
With only a 1.88 percentage point rise forecasted over 30 years, the pace of growth suggests the sector remains undervalued or under-leveraged relative to its potential.
The creative economy’s resilience, despite limited public infrastructure and policy support, demonstrates strong organic demand and global competitiveness.