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  • Over the years, the value of the Zimbabwean Dollar (ZWL) has been on a massive downward trend compared to the US Dollar (USD). This has led to the latter accounting for most of the domestic transactions in the Southern African country. The ZWL went from 10,152.5 to USD 1 as of January 1, 2024, to 30,674.3 on April 1, 2024. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is introducing a gold-backed digital currency as a legal tender to stabilise its currency.
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    The Nigerian Workplace Report indicates that over 50% of Nigeria’s working population earns less than ₦200,001 monthly. It further highlights that individuals earning above ₦600k are among the top 10% earners.

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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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    Inflation rate in Nigeria increased to 31.7% in February 2024. Nigeria has the 13th highest inflation rate out of 186 countries and territories as of February 2024.

    The data showcases Argentina leading with 276%, followed by Lebanon and Syria. Seven of the top fifteen are African.

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  • 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.

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    Top ten African countries by estimated number of films produced annually

    The Nigerian movie industry, mainly financed via public or private funding and international grants, produces the most films in Africa, yearly. Nigeria produced more than double the number of films that the Ghanaian and Kenyan movie industries produce annually.

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  • Miss Universe - Top countries by the number of wins since 1952
    • 2000–2005: Of the titles, two went to Venezuela and one to India and Puerto Rico. India's win in 2000 marked its first Miss Universe title.
    • 2006–2010: Mexico, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico each managed to win a single contest. Mexico's win in 2010 was particularly historic, given that it was the first time the country won the title of Miss Universe.
    • 2011–2015: While the Philippines and Venezuela each won two titles, Colombia took one.
    • 2016–2020: Mexico and South Africa managed one victory each; South Africa had consecutive victories in 2017 and 2019.
    • 2021–2024: India, Mexico, South Africa, and Denmark each secured one win. This win for India in 2021 is the third Miss Universe title in the country.
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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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Other Insights
  • Inflation jumped by 13.4 percentage points, from 9.0% pre-Buhari to 22.4% post-Buhari.
  • The value of the naira] depreciated by over 235% during Buhari’s tenure, ending at ₦645.2/$.
  • Total public debt increased nearly 7x, from ₦12.6 trillion in 2015 to ₦87.4 trillion in 2023.
  • Nigeria’s GDP growth rate averaged just 1.24% annually between 2015 and 2023.
  • Foreign reserves peaked at $44.5 billion in 2018 but dropped to $38.3 billion by 2023.
  • FDI inflows showed volatility, with the highest being $3.5 billion in 2021 and the lowest at $0.8 billion.
  • Nigeria's GDP growth rate was modest, with the country experiencing a recession in 2016.
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  • Guinea-Bissau showed the highest agricultural contribution to its GDP at 36.8% in 2024.
  • Contributions range widely, with high reliance seen in Comoros (36.6%) and Ethiopia (34.9%), contrasting with lower percentages in DR Congo (17.1%) and Angola (16.4%).
  • Agriculture, forestry, and fishing contributed a notable 20.4% to Nigeria's GDP in 2024.
  • Countries with high agricultural GDP contributions are predominantly located in West and East Africa.
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  • Nigeria is the world’s top yam producer since the 1980s.
  • West Africa supplies over 95% of global yam output.
  • Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire have grown steadily in the rankings.
  • Non-African countries play a very small role today.
  • Nigeria exports very little yam despite massive production.
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  • Libya leads Africa with 48.4 billion barrels of recoverable oil, the continent’s highest.
  • Nigeria ranks second with 37.3 billion barrels, accounting for about 27% of reserves among top holders.
  • Algeria holds 12.2 billion barrels, rounding out the top three and far ahead of other nations.
  • Sudan, Egypt, and Angola each contribute between 2.5 and 5 billion barrels, showing smaller but notable reserves.
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  • South Africa leads the continent with a vast 20,986km rail network, nearly triple the size of Sudan’s, the second-largest.
  • Nigeria’s rail infrastructure measures 3,798km, ranking it behind Kenya (3,819km) and DR Congo (4,007km).
  • North African countries like Egypt and Algeria maintain significant rail mileage, exceeding 4,000km each.
  • Southern Africa dominates the top five, with Mozambique and Zimbabwe also featuring prominently.
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  • Zambia recorded its highest-ever FDI inflow in 2013 at $2.10 billion.
  • After dipping to a negative inflow of -$0.07 billion in 2022, Zambia recovered to $1.24 billion in 2024.
  • The country experienced its first billion-dollar inflow in 2007, marking a turning point in foreign investment.
  • FDI inflow was consistently below $0.5 billion throughout the 1990s, indicating limited investor confidence during that period.
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  • Algeria leads Africa with 41 active oil rigs, making up nearly 29% of the continent's total count.
  • Nigeria follows with 31 rigs, confirming its strong position in West Africa’s upstream oil activity.
  • Egypt ranks third with 23 rigs, while Libya maintains 18 rigs despite its fluctuating political climate.
  • The top seven countries host 122 of Africa’s 144 rigs, showing drilling operations are concentrated in just a handful of nations.
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  • July 2025 saw the ASI rise by 8.6%, the largest monthly jump in over a year.
  • The index grew steadily for four straight months from April to July 2025.
  • ASI climbed from 99.5K in June 2024 to 126.7K in July 2025, a 27.3% increase overall.
  • August 2024 recorded the sharpest monthly drop at -2.9%.
  • December 2024 and January 2025 posted back-to-back strong gains of 2.5% and 3.8% respectively.
  • May and June 2025 saw healthy gains of 4.2% and 6.6%, paving the way for July’s surge.
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  • Manufacturing hit a record $64.90b in 2022, after steady growth from 2016.
  • Output fell 55% to $25.36b in 2024, the worst one-year drop since 1999.
  • Military-era lows: Slumped from $33.33b (1981) to $8.08b (1989).
  • Democratic rebounds: Output grew from $9.62b (1999) to $55.33b (2014), and from $35.12b (2016) to $64.90b (2022).
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  • Ronaldo leads the UEFA Champions League scoring chart with 141 goals, ahead of Messi's 129.
  • Salah and Drogba are the only two African players in the top 20 scorers list.
  • Just 8 goals separate the 10th and 20th-ranked scorers, showing how tight competition is outside the top ranks.
  • Haaland and Mbappé are the only two players under 30 in the top 15.
  • Legendary players like Neymar and Ibrahimović never broke into the top 10 despite long careers at top clubs.
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  • Starlink is cheaper than traditional ISPs in five out of the twelve African countries analysed.
  • Zimbabwe has the widest price gap, with traditional ISPs costing over 21 times more than Starlink.
  • Nigeria currently offers the cheapest traditional ISP plan at $9.59, undercutting Starlink’s price by a wide margin.
  • In Ghana and Kenya, Starlink’s monthly subscription is less than half the cost of the leading ISPs.
  • Only slight differences exist between Starlink and traditional ISP prices in Zambia and Botswana, indicating near-parity.
  • Mozambique and Cape Verde have moderate Starlink price advantages, suggesting potential for market competition.
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  • Sudan recorded the steepest GDP decline in Africa in 2024 at -13.49%.
  • Botswana’s economy contracted by -2.99%, the second-worst on the continent.
  • Libya was the only other country in the bottom 10 with negative growth at -0.61%.
  • South Africa, with 0.58% growth, continues to struggle with low economic momentum.
  • Sao Tome & Principe and Equatorial Guinea both recorded growth below 1%.
  • Despite being Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria’s 3.43% growth places it closer to underperforming countries than to the continent’s fastest risers.
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  • South Africa has doubled from 317,000 units in 1999 to approximately 600,000 units in 2024.
  •  Major peaks were recorded in 2006 (588K), 2016 (616K), and 2018 (632K), while noticeable declines occurred in 2009 (374K) and 2020 (447K), reflecting global economic shocks.
  • South Africa remains one of the leading vehicle producers in Africa, manufacturing a wide mix of passenger cars, light commercial vehicles (LCVs), trucks, and buses/coaches.
  • The industry plays a critical role in exports, employment, and industrial development, making South Africa an automotive hub on the continent.
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  • China built 31.3M vehicles in 2024, more than the U.S. and Japan combined, and over one-third of global output.
  • The U.S. and Japan are still major players, but each produced less than half of China’s volume.
  • India, rising with 6.0M vehicles, is cementing its place as a global automotive powerhouse.
  • Europe’s strength: Germany leads with 4.1M units, supported by Spain, France, and the Czech Republic.
  • Brazil, Thailand, and Turkey demonstrate strong regional growth.
Africa’s contribution:
  • South Africa (21st, 0.59M units) is the continent’s top producer.
  • Morocco (23rd, 0.56M units) follows closely. Combined, they reflect Africa’s small but developing presence in the global auto industry.
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  • Algeria is Africa’s largest country, covering 2.4 million km², slightly bigger than the Democratic Republic of Congo (2.3 million km²).
  • Sudan (1.9 million km²) and Libya (1.8 million km²) complete the top four, showing that North Africa dominates the list of largest territories.
  • Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has a landmass of 923,800 km², placing it 14th in size, much smaller than its population ranking.
  • The smallest among the top 20 listed is South Sudan, with 619,700 km², less than one-third the size of Algeria.
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  • Samsung dominates with 26.42% of Ghana’s smartphone market, making it the clear leader.
  • Tecno (17.7%) and Apple (17.4%) are in a tight race for second place, separated by just 0.3 percentage points.
  • Infinix (10.5%) and Itel (5.2%) highlight the strong presence of Transsion Holdings brands in Ghana.
  • Global giants like Huawei (6.8%) and Xiaomi (2.5%) lag behind, showing Ghana’s preference for budget-friendly African-focused brands.
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  • Seychelles is the tiniest country in Africa, covering only 452 km², smaller than the size of some global cities.
  • Island nations dominate the smallest group, with Seychelles, Comoros, Mauritius, and Cape Verde all under 5,000 km² each.
  • Gambia is the smallest mainland country, spanning 10,700 km², surrounded almost entirely by Senegal except its Atlantic coast.
  • Only 10 African countries have land areas under 30,000 km², with most being among the continent’s most densely populated.
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  • South Africa dominates with 41,100 millionaires, accounting for more than 1 in 3 African millionaires, far ahead of any other nation.
  • Egypt (14,800) and Morocco (7,500) round out the top three, highlighting North Africa’s wealth concentration.
  • Nigeria (7,200) and Kenya (6,800) confirm West and East Africa’s growing wealth hubs, though still far below South Africa.
  • Mauritius (4,800) and Seychelles (500) rank surprisingly high relative to population size, showing their role as finance and wealth management hubs.
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