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  • Top African countries by number of citizens studying in the US in 2020
    • Nigeria remained the top African country for students in the U.S., with 20,029 students enrolled in the 2023/2024 academic year, marking a 13.5% increase from the previous year.
    • Ghana saw the highest growth rate among African nations, with a 45% increase in students, totaling 9,394 in the U.S. during the 2023/2024 academic year.
    • These countries collectively contributed significantly, with 4,507 (Kenya), 3,078 (Ethiopia), and 2,814 (South Africa) students studying in the U.S. during 2023/2024.
    • Sub-Saharan Africa was the fastest-growing region for international student mobility to the U.S., experiencing a 13% overall increase in the 2023/2024 academic year.
    • In the 2020/2021 academic year, Nigeria had 12,900 students, Ghana had 4,200, and Kenya had 3,500 students enrolled in U.S. institutions.
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    Key takeaways:

    • Tecno (23.55%) and Infinix (21.73%) lead the Nigerian mobile market, making up a combined 45.28% of the market share.
    • Samsung (12.36%) is the leading non-Chinese brand, with Apple (9.43%) following closely behind.
    • Xiaomi (7.15%) and Huawei (4.34%) are emerging as significant players in Nigeria's mobile sector.
    • Premium brands such as Samsung (12.36%) and Apple (9.43%) have considerable but smaller market shares compared to their Chinese counterparts.
    • Chinese manufacturers collectively dominate over 60% of the mobile market in Nigeria.
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  • Only 10% of Nigerians earn above ₦100,000, according to the Nigerian Financial Services Market Report. This aligns with most reports about Nigeria, and it's in sharp contrast to the narratives online.
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    A Trend of Adult literacy rates of African countries

    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.

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  • 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.

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    Africa's sanitation crisis is alarming, with 17 of the top 20 countries having the highest open defecation rates.

    Eritrea (67%), Niger (65%), and Chad (63%) lead, putting millions at risk of disease.

    Even Nigeria, the most populous African country, has 18% of its population practising it.

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  • Five of the top tep African countries with the largest gold reserves are North African

    Half of the top 10 African countries with significant gold reserves come from North Africa, with Algeria leading with 174 tonnes. Egypt and South Africa come in second and third with 126 tonnes and 125 tonnes, respectively. Algeria, Egypt, South Africa, and Libya hold the most significant gold reserves.

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  • 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.

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  • Only 10% of Nigerians earn above ₦100,000, according to the Nigerian Financial Services Market Report. This aligns with most reports about Nigeria, and it's in sharp contrast to the narratives online.
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Other Insights
     
  • Asia leads global copper exports with 31.6% of total export value.
  • Europe follows closely at 31.4%, making the two regions nearly equal in contribution.
  • Combined, Asia and Europe control 63% of the global copper export market.
  • Africa ranks third globally, contributing 15.3% to copper exports.
  • Oceania plays the smallest role, with just 2% of the total export value.
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  • The DR Congo is Africa’s copper giant, exporting $19.8 billion in 2024 (56.7% of the total).
  • Zambia follows with $7.6 billion, representing 21.7% of exports.
  • Together, the DR Congo and Zambia control almost 80% of Africa’s copper trade.
  • Tanzania is the third-largest exporter with $2.2 billion (6.3%).
  • Despite 52 African countries exporting copper, 42 of them collectively make up only 2% of the total value.
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  • Africa has recorded more than half of the world’s wildfire-affected areas every year since 2012.
  • In some years, the continent’s share reached as high as 65% of global burned land.
  • North and South America are the second most affected regions, with shares ranging from 15% to 25%.
  • Asia’s share has remained steady at about 10% throughout 2012–2024.
  • Europe and Oceania each account for only about 5% annually, making them the least affected.
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  • South Africa’s digital service imports consistently overshadowed export earnings, despite exports growing by over 300% since 2005.
  • South Africa exported $76.418 billion in digital services between 2005 and 2024.
  • Imports during the same period reached $113.67 billion.
  • The result was a trade deficit of $37.252 billion in over 20 years.
  • Exports rose from just $1.71 billion in 2005 to $7.05 billion in 2024.
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  • Ghana exported $49.11 billion in digital services between 2005 and 2024.
  • Digital services imports recorded during the same period was $53.00 billion.
  • Ghana recorded a $3.9 billion trade deficit across the two decades.
  • Exports grew from just $78 million in 2005 to $5.18 billion in 2024.
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  • Egypt spends twice as much on digital services imports than it earns from exports, with $8.31b on imports and $4.03b from exports recorded in 2024.
  • Egypt exported $46.007 billion in digital services between 2005 and 2024.
  • Imports during the same period reached $101.98 billion.
  • The result was a trade deficit of $55.973 billion in over 20 years.
  • Export earnings rose from just $1.91 billion in 2005 to $4.03 billion in 2024.
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  • Morocco recorded a total of $61.75 billion digital services trade exports and $35.31 billion imports, revealing a staggering $26.44 billion trade profit in 20 years.
  • Morocco has always been the leading country in Africa as far as digital services trade is concerned.
  • From 2005-2024, Morocco digital services exports have always outpaced imports.
  • Morocco digital export earnings have grown from $1.11b in 2005 to $6.74b in 2024, revealing over 500% growth in 20 years.
  • Imports during the same time-frame reached 3.17b from $780m in 2025.
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  • South Africa led the continent with a massive 68.2% of Africa’s insurance market, far ahead of all others combined.
  • Morocco (8.7%), Egypt (4.0%), and Kenya (3.6%) were the next largest.
  • Major economies, such as Nigeria (1.7%) and Algeria (1.9%), played surprisingly small roles in insurance penetration.
  • “Others” refers to the rest of Africa, which held just 6.4%, indicating a heavy concentration in a few markets.
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  • Financial services dominate Nigeria’s digitally delivered exports, contributing $1.15bn (over 74%).
  • Telecommunications ($184m) and insurance & pension services ($147m) follow, though far smaller.
  • Computer, information, and IP services registered almost no exports, highlighting untapped digital potential.
  • Nigeria’s digital exports remain highly concentrated in finance, leaving other sub-sectors underdeveloped.
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  • Majority trust will be moderate to high: 92.6% of Nigerians are expected to have either high (43.9%) or moderate (48.7%) trust in financial institutions by 2025.
  • Transparency is the biggest driver of trust as 46.2% of respondents believe transparent policies and fees will most improve their trust.
  • Security is a rising priority; 30.2% of Nigerians highlight improved security features as a key factor in strengthening confidence in financial institutions.
  • Customer service and regulation still matter as 17% emphasise better customer service and 6.6% stronger regulatory oversight, showing that while oversight has a role, people prioritise fairness, safety, and service.
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  • São Tomé & Príncipe’s dobra is the weakest African currency, trading at over 22,000 per US dollar.
  • Sierra Leone and Guinea follow closely, highlighting persistent monetary pressures in West Africa.
  • Nigeria’s naira, despite recent reforms, ranks 9th weakest, reflecting ongoing exchange rate volatility.
  • East African currencies such as the Ugandan shilling, Tanzanian shilling, and Rwandan franc also appear, showing regional vulnerability.
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  • Jumia's highest sales are typically recorded in the fourth quarter of the year due to Jumia Black Friday, except in 2022.
  • Black Friday sales generally run through November.
  • GMV represents the total value of orders for products and services, including shipping fees and VAT, before discounts and irrespective of cancellations or returns.
  • GMV tracks platform usage and is not influenced by whether sales are first-party or third-party, or by the payment method used.
  • The lowest GMV in six years was recorded in 2024 at $720 million.
  • A major factor behind the GMV decline is foreign exchange depreciation, as 8 out of 10 local currencies in Jumia’s markets lost value against the US dollar, especially in Nigeria.
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  • Nigeria’s food and beverage imports increased almost ninefold, from ₦0.7 trillion in 2013 to ₦6.6 trillion in 2024.
  • Imports remained relatively stable between 2015 and 2019, averaging around ₦1.1–₦1.6 trillion.
  • A major spike occurred in 2021, when imports surged by 62%, reaching ₦2.9 trillion.
  • Overall, the trend underscores Nigeria’s ongoing challenge of reducing dependency on imported food and beverages despite policies aimed at self-sufficiency.
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  • Nigeria imported a total of ₦60.6 trillion worth of goods in 2024.
  • Fuels and lubricants dominated imports with ₦22.7 trillion (37.4%).
  • Industrial supplies accounted for ₦13.4 trillion (22.1%), showing strong demand for production inputs.
  • Capital goods and parts represented ₦9.1 trillion (15%).
  • Food and beverage imports reached ₦6.6 trillion (10.9%), signalling a high reliance on external food sources.
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  • ECOWAS’s share of Nigeria’s African imports grew to 32.4% in H1 2025, up from 15.0% in 2021.
  • The lowest ECOWAS import share was recorded in 2014 (8.8%), showing significant progress since then.
  • The share of ECOWAS imports has more than doubled since 2021, signalling stronger regional trade ties.
  • Nigeria’s total imports from Africa rose to ₦1.8 trillion in 2025 (H1), indicating expanding trade activity.
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  • The six North-Eastern states collectively owe around ₦450 billion in domestic debt as of Q2 2025.
  • Borno State maintains the lowest debt in the region at ₦22.3 billion, showing signs of controlled borrowing amid post-conflict rebuilding.
  • Bauchi State has the highest domestic debt burden of ₦143.6 billion, accounting for about 31% of the region’s total.
  • The top three states, Bauchi, Taraba and Gombe, collectively account for more than two-thirds of the zone’s total subnational debt stock.
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  • Nigeria paid $816.3 million to the International Monetary Fund, accounting for over 35% of total external debt service payments.
  • Eurobond payments followed closely, with $687.8 million paid, reflecting Nigeria’s heavy reliance on commercial debt instruments.
  • Multilateral lenders like IDA and AfDB collectively received about $463 million, signalling continued exposure to concessional financing.
  • China’s share shrinking: Payments to Chinese lenders (EXIM + CDB) totalled $235.6 million, less than 11% of total outflows, suggesting reduced Chinese debt servicing in H1 2025.
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  • FGN bonds dominated: ₦1.07 trillion went to Federal Government Bonds, accounting for about 63% of total domestic debt servicing.
  • Treasury bills followed: Payments on NTBs reached ₦537.9 billion, making up roughly 31% of the total.
  • Sukuk and promissory notes together cost ₦90.8 billion, reflecting Nigeria’s mix of infrastructure and settlement instruments.
  • Green and savings bonds remained minimal, together below ₦5 billion, showing limited traction for retail and sustainability-focused debt.
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