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  • Nigeria repaid an average of $368m in external debt every year between 2008 and 2017. In 2018, the payments increased by 217% to $1.47b from $464m in 2017, then dropped by 9.4% in 2019, and has since been on the rise. Here are Nigeria's external debt repayments since 2008.
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    Nigerians made up 6.5% of international students in the United Kingdom as of 2022
    In the 2021/2022 academic year, 2.86 million students studied in UK's higher education institutions, with 680k (23.8%) being international students. Nigerians accounted for 44k (6.5%) of overseas students in the UK, trailing China's 151k (22.3%) and India's 126k (18.6%).
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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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  • Data from Nigeria's National Bureau of Statistics shows that the Federal Allocation Account Committee (FAAC) disbursed at least ₦32.8 trillion net to the 36 states and the FCT since 2011.

     

    Five of Nigeria's oil-producing states — Delta, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, and Lagos — have received 33.7% of the country's net federal allocation since 2011, with Delta State receiving the most. Kano, Katsina, Borno, Kaduna, and Ondo complete the top ten.

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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
 
  • Liberia leads with an ENPP of 6.44, showing the strongest balance of party influence in Africa.
  • Morocco (5.68) and Tanzania (5.64) follow closely, reflecting vibrant multiparty political systems.
  • East Africa is well represented, with both Tanzania and Kenya among the top five.
  • Malawi’s ENPP of 5.19 highlights its robust political competition despite its smaller size.
  • Countries such as Gambia, Benin, and Comoros maintain a healthy level of party competitiveness, underscoring diversity beyond larger nations.
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  • Teraco in South Africa is Africa’s largest data centre with 200 MW capacity.
  • Nigeria follows with a combined 110 MW from Rack Centre and MainOne.
  • Kenya leads East Africa with a 50 MW facility by Liquid Intelligent Technologies.
  • Morocco’s 40 MW Maroc Datacenter tops North Africa.
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  • Ethiopia leads Africa’s hydropower projects with the massive 6,450 MW Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
  • Three of Africa’s top ten hydroelectric plants are located in Ethiopia, signalling major investment in renewable energy.
  • The Kariba Dam, shared by Zambia and Zimbabwe, is the largest cross-border project on the list.
  • Nigeria’s Kainji Dam ranks tenth with 760 MW, highlighting a relatively lower capacity compared to continental leaders.
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  • Life insurance dominates the market with ₦276.8 billion in gross premiums, more than any other sector.
  • Oil and Gas insurance follows as the second-largest segment, generating ₦188.7 billion in Q1.
  • Fire and Motor insurance sectors contributed ₦91.9 billion and ₦77.7 billion respectively, reflecting strong demand.
  • Aviation insurance recorded the least income at ₦16.6 billion, likely due to the limited scope of operations.
  • The top three segments (Life, Oil & Gas, and Fire) jointly account for over 75% of the total GPI in the quarter.
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  • Dangote Cement reported the highest H1 2025 profit at ₦436.6 billion, up 50% from ₦291.7 billion in H1 2024.
  • BUA Cement’s profit more than doubled to ₦149.1 billion, a 164% rise from ₦56.5 billion in the same period last year.
  • BUA Cement had the fastest profit growth rate among the three major players, despite starting from a lower base.
  • Combined, the three firms posted over ₦720 billion in half-year profit, with Dangote alone accounting for over 60% of the total.
  • The sharp profit rises may reflect improved pricing, cost management, or benefits from forex gains after naira devaluation.
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  • Seychelles holds Africa’s strongest passport, granting visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 156 destinations, and ranks 24th worldwide.
  • Mauritius follows closely, with a passport index score of 149 and a strong global rank of 27th.
  • South Africa leads mainland Africa, ranking 48th globally with access to 103 countries.
  • Southern African countries dominate Africa’s top 10, with Botswana, Namibia, and Lesotho all securing higher index scores than East and North African nations.
  • Africa’s passport strength varies widely, but island nations lead the way.
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  • Landlight tariffs (20A and 60A), offered primarily in rural areas, are Eskom’s highest tariff rates and are exclusive to direct (non-local authority) customers.
  • The Homelight 20A Block 1 tariff, which applies to consumption between 0–350 kWh, is the lowest among Eskom’s tariffs.
  • Landlight tariffs carry higher rates because they exclude other fixed charges such as: Ancillary service charge (c/kWh), Network demand charge (c/kWh), Network capacity charge (R/POD/day), and Service charge (R/POD/day). This structure makes Landlight more suitable for rural or low-income areas, where simplifying cost recovery is necessary.
  • Eskom classifies its tariffs into the following categories:
    • Residential Tariffs (for household electricity supply): Homelight 20A, Homelight 60A, Homepower, and Homeflex
    • Urban Tariffs (for large industrial and commercial users): Megaflex, Miniflex, Nightsave Urban (Large and Small), Business Rate, Public Lighting, Transflex (rail), and Gen-Wheeling/Offset tariffs
    • Rural Tariffs (for agricultural, business, and residential customers in rural areas): Ruraflex, Nightsave Rural, Landrate, and Landlight
    • Municipal Tariffs (for municipalities purchasing in bulk and for municipal services like water pumps or offices): Municrate, Municflex, and Public Lighting.
  • Customers with rooftop solar PV systems are required to be on the Homeflex tariff plan, which is based on Time-of-Use (ToU) pricing.
  • Several Eskom tariffs are Time-of-Use-based, where charges vary depending on peak, standard, and off-peak periods. These include: Nightsave Urban Large, Nightsave Urban Small, Megaflex, Miniflex, Homeflex, Nightsave Rural, Ruraflex, and Ruraflex Gen
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  • Electricity distribution in South Africa reached its peak in 2018, a record high of 231 TWh.

  • The lowest electricity distribution was recorded in 2023, dropping to 206 TWh.

  • Load shedding has become a persistent challenge, with 2023 experiencing the highest number of load shedding days — 332 days in total.

  • Eskom accounts for about 80% of electricity distributed in South Africa.
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  • Just 16 out of 54 African countries have launched a national AI strategy.
  • Over 30 countries remain at the early or inactive stage with no clear roadmap.
  • Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is still drafting its AI policy.
  • Leaders include Kenya, Egypt, Ghana, Algeria, Rwanda, and Senegal.
  • Most low-income and post-conflict states like Chad, Somalia, and South Sudan are far behind.
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  • Access Bank paid the highest total salaries in 2024, amounting to ₦357.6 billion.
  • Stanbic IBTC devoted the largest share of its revenue to salaries at 9.96%, despite a much lower total salary bill than Access or FirstHoldCo.
  • Zenith Bank had one of the highest salary bills (₦137.7 billion) but spent the smallest portion of its revenue on staff at just 3.47%.
  • Wema Bank, though paying the lowest in total salaries (₦33.8 billion), had one of the highest salary-to-revenue ratios at 7.81%.
  • FirstHoldCo, with ₦229.1 billion in staff costs, maintained a moderate salary-to-revenue ratio of 7.14%.
  • The gap between total salary spend and salary-to-revenue ratios reveals more about each bank’s internal cost structure.
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  • Access Bank led all Nigerian banks with ₦4.9T in gross earnings in 2024, nearly doubling its 2023 performance.
  • FirstHoldCo saw a sharp rise in earnings to ₦3.2T in 2024
  • Zenith Bank grew consistently, crossing the ₦4T mark in 2024 from ₦1T in 2022, showing strong operational expansion.
  • Wema Bank, despite being the smallest, quadrupled its earnings over two years, from ₦0.1T to ₦0.4T.
  • Fidelity and FCMB nearly tripled their gross earnings between 2022 and 2024, showing rising momentum among mid-tier banks.
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  • Real GDP grew from ₦205.1 trillion in 2019 to ₦217.8 trillion in 2024, a modest 6% rise.
  • Nominal GDP jumped from ₦205.1 trillion to ₦372.8 trillion over the same period, an 82% increase.
  • The gap between nominal and real GDP widened sharply after 2021, reaching ₦155 trillion in 2024.
  • Nominal GDP has grown year-on-year, with the steepest jump between 2023 (₦314.0 trillion) and 2024 (₦372.8 trillion).
  • Inflationary pressures have driven nominal gains, masking subdued real economic expansion.
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  • Gross premium income in Kenya’s insurance sector grew by 89.1% between 2017 and 2024.
  • Premiums rose from KSh 209.0B in 2017 to KSh 395.3B in 2024.
  • The most substantial annual growth occurred in 2023 at 17.6%.
  • 2021 also recorded a significant rise of 16.6% growth.
  • The slowest growth was observed in 2020, at just 2.3%, likely reflecting the impact of the pandemic.
  • Despite fluctuations, the sector has maintained an upward growth trajectory across the 7 years.
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  • Kenya’s insurance assets more than doubled in seven years, from KSh 591B in 2017 to KSh 1.2T in 2024.
  • This represents a 109.4% growth over the period.
  • The sector recorded positive growth every single year, with no declines.
  • The most substantial growth occurred in 2024, at 17%.
  • Asset growth averaged between 7.5% and 12.5% annually until the surge in 2024.
  • 2023 marked the first time assets crossed the KSh 1 trillion mark.
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  • Government securities consistently dominate, holding between 69% and 71% of total insurance assets.
  • In 2022, government securities reached their peak share at 71.4%.
  • Investments in subsidiaries fell steadily from 11.9% in 2021 to 8.4% in 2024.
  • Ordinary shares and investment property grew slightly, reaching 9.4% and 9.2% respectively, in 2024 and 2023.
  • Term deposits declined from 8.6% in 2021 to around 6.7% in 2024.
  • The sector made gradual diversification moves but remained highly concentrated in government securities.
  • The consistent focus on low-risk assets highlights insurers’ preference for stability and capital preservation.
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  • Kenyan banks’ total assets grew by 56.6% between 2019 and 2024.
  • In 2024, assets declined slightly by 1.6%, the first drop in five years.
  • The sector recorded consistent growth from 2019 to 2023 before dipping in 2024.
  • The highest growth came in 2023, when assets surged 17.6% to KSh 7.7T.
  • Assets rose from KSh 4.8T in 2019 to KSh 7.6T in 2024.
  • Despite the 2024 dip, banks added nearly KSh 3 trillion in assets over the five years.
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  • Kenyan banks’ Profit-Before-Tax (PBT) grew by 62.8% between 2019 and 2024.
  • Total PBT rose from KSh 159.9B in 2019 to KSh 260.3B in 2024.
  • The lowest point was in 2020, when profits dropped to KSh 112.8B, a 29.5% decline.
  • Banks recorded their strongest recovery in 2021 with a 73.2% increase in PBT.
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  • Among the 113 countries measured in the 2022 Global Food Security Index, Nigeria is ranked 107th overall, putting it deep in the bottom ten globally.
  • Nigeria has the lowest affordability score globally in the GFSI 2022, scoring only 25.0 in that pillar.
  • The country performs marginally better in other pillars: its score in “Quality and Safety” is relatively higher (55.6), and “Sustainability and Adaptation” is 53.7. But other pillars like “Availability” (39.5) remain weak.
  • Globally, a group of countries, including Nigeria, DR Congo, Sudan, Venezuela, Burundi, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Yemen, Haiti, and Syria, all cluster at low overall GFSI scores (below ~45), reflecting severe challenges.
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