• Egypt and Algeria dominate the top spots, reflecting their significant military investments and strategic importance in North Africa.
• Nigeria and South Africa follow, representing West and Southern Africa, respectively.
• Countries like Ethiopia, Angola, and the DRC have notable military capabilities but face internal challenges that may impact their effectiveness.
• Kenya and Chad have relatively weaker militaries, though they still play important roles in their respective regions.

Key takeaways:

• In December 2024, the top five states with the highest average kerosene prices were: Abuja (₦2,950.0), Akwa Ibom (₦2,538.3), Kaduna (₦2,510.6), Cross River (₦2,430.7), and Sokoto (₦2,400.1).
• Abuja recorded the highest average price of kerosene in December 2024, while Borno state recorded the lowest price.
• The price of kerosene per litre ranged from ₦1,520.4 to ₦2,950 across Nigerian states in December 2024.
• The percentage difference in the price of kerosene across Nigeria states in December 2024 is approximately 63.9%.

• Airtel Africa leads the Nigerian stock market with a market cap of ₦8.11 trillion naira, followed by Dangote Cement at ₦8.10 trillion and BUA Foods at ₦7.52 trillion.
• The largest public companies in Nigeria are mostly in financial services, industrial goods and consumer goods.
• A total of 16 Nigerian public companies have surpassed the ₦1 trillion market cap threshold.
• The lowest-ranked trillion-naira company, First HolCo, has a ₦1 trillion naira market cap.

Key takeaways: 

• The boneless beef price recorded the largest increase of more than ₦3,620 on average, followed closely by dried catfish (+₦3,619.35) and frozen chicken (+₦3,583.82).
• Prices of major animal proteins have more than doubled, with price increases ranging from ₦1,900 to ₦3,630 on average.
• The top 20 food items saw price hikes of at least ₦1,900.
• The cost of a medium-sized crate of eggs more than tripled between May 2023 and December 2024.

Key takeaways:

• The total wealth of the three richest women surpasses $259 billion.
• Alice Walton is the only woman in the world whose net worth exceeds $100 billion.
• These women share a legacy of inherited wealth that they have successfully transformed into increased wealth.
• Each of the top three richest women holds a net worth greater than $70 billion.
• The top three richest women in the world are engaged in philanthropic endeavours.

• Women-led businesses in Africa raise significantly less funding than male-led counterparts. In 2017, female-led startups secured only $1 for every $25 raised by male-led startups, and this disparity persisted through 2024.
• Despite making up 26% of all entrepreneurs in Africa, women receive less than 10% of total investment capital.
• Women in Africa face structural financing challenges, including limited collateral, fewer investment networks, and biases in lending decisions.
• While some countries have introduced financial inclusion programmes, overall access to credit for women remains disproportionately low.
• The rise of women-focused venture funds, such as WIC Capital and Janngo, signals a slow but emerging shift towards more equitable funding distribution.
• If this trend continues, Africa risks stifling economic growth by not fully leveraging the entrepreneurial potential of women-led businesses.​​

Key takeaways:

• The total wealth of Nigeria's top four billionaires amounts to $37.4 billion.
• Aliko Dangote's fortune accounts for almost 64% of the overall wealth among Nigerian billionaires.
• Dangote's net worth is more than three times the net worth of Adenuga, and nearly 16 times greater than Otedola's.
• All four individuals accumulated their wealth primarily through entrepreneurial efforts.
• The sources of wealth for Nigeria's four richest men span various sectors, including cement, telecommunications, agriculture, and energy.

• Just 11 countries hold 69% of Africa’s total external debt.
• South Africa (14%) carries the highest share.
• Egypt (13%) and Nigeria (8%) are among the top three.
• Countries from Northern and Southern regions hold over 30% of Africa’s external debt.
• Many of these nations rely on debt to drive development, but without efficient utilisation, rising debt could become a major drag on future progress.

Key takeaways:

• Africa’s wealthiest individual, Aliko Dangote, is approximately twice as rich as Johann Rupert and Nicky Oppenheimer.
• Each of the three richest men in Africa have a net worth exceeding $10 billion.
• Aliko Dangote maintains his status as Africa's wealthiest man, with a fortune that surpasses his closest rival by more than $9 billion.
• The cumulative net worth of the five richest men in Africa is around $65.2 billion.
• The difference in net worth between Africa's richest man and the fifth richest man is $17.1 billion.

• 68.9% of non-custodial sentences fall under community service. This sentencing method is by far the most utilised, indicating a strong preference for rehabilitation through public work.
• Restorative justice is gaining traction (18.9%), emphasising reconciliation between offenders and victims rather than punitive measures.
• Probation is the least utilised; despite being a common alternative to detention in other systems, probation accounts for just 5.6% of non-custodial sentences in Nigeria.
• 6.7% of cases fall under "others," which could include lesser-known alternatives such as conditional discharge or special rehabilitation programmes.

• For every woman sentenced to a non-custodial measure, there are nearly 12 men (35:415), highlighting a strong gender disparity in non-custodial sentencing.
• Men account for more than 9 out of every 10 non-custodial cases (92%), suggesting that crimes leading to these sentences are far more common among male offenders.
• Women’s representation in non-custodial sentencing is much lower than their general crime conviction rates, indicating potential differences in crime type, judicial discretion, or rehabilitation approaches.

Key takeaways:

• Mozambique has the fewest individuals requiring support from the United Nations.
• The UN plans to help 3.6 million of the 7.8 million people in Nigeria who require assistance.
• Sudan is the only Northern African country recorded by the UN as having people in need.
• In East and Southern Africa, the countries with the highest and lowest numbers of individuals in need are Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, respectively.
• The Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger have the highest and lowest number of individuals needing assistance, respectively, in West and Central Africa.