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  • With over ten million registered Retirement Savings Accounts as of Dec 2023, Nigerian workers' pension contributions have grown steadily, despite fluctuations in recent years, to reach ₦1.32t in 2023.

    In 2023 alone, 13.3% of the total savings since inception was contributed.

    Total contributions since 2004 reached ₦9.9 trillion by 2023, with 52% coming from the public sector. The public sector grows at an average annual rate of 15.8%, while the private sector averages 16.2% yearly growth.

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    Poverty rate: 87 million Nigerians raise rate to 38.9% in 2023

    Despite various cash assistance programmes, including the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program, and extensive macroeconomic reforms such as the unification of the exchange rate and the removal of fuel subsidies, poverty in Nigeria rose to 38.9% in 2023, leaving 87 million Nigerians in poverty.

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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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    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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  • 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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    Countries by Global Innovation Index 2024

    The Global Innovation Index 2024 reveals a striking contrast in innovation performance between countries globally and across Africa. Switzerland leads the global rankings with an impressive score of 67.5, followed by Sweden (64.5) and the USA (62.4), highlighting their sustained investments in research, development, and technological advancement.

    In Africa, Mauritius takes the top spot with a score of 30.5, followed closely by Morocco (28.8) and South Africa (28.3). However, even Africa's most innovative nations achieve less than half the score of global leaders, indicating a significant innovation gap.

    Nigeria ranks 15th in the African ranking and 113th globally, out of 133 countries, with a score of 17.1.

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  • africas-imports-by-country-2022-65bcdbd921bcd

    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%.

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  • 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.

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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.

    See more

Other Insights
  • 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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  • Samsung controls more than half of the South African smartphone market, more than all other brands combined.
  • Apple holds 17.61%, less than half of Samsung’s share, but remains the clear premium alternative.
  • Despite global challenges, Huawei captures 10.03%, placing third in the market.
  • Honor, Xiaomi, and Oppo collectively hold approximately 11.6%, while smaller brands like Tecno, Itel, and Nokia struggle below 2% each.
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  • Mauritius is the fastest-growing hub with a 63% surge in millionaires, highlighting its rising financial services sector and favourable investment climate.
  • Rwanda (+48%) and Morocco (+40%) also show strong upward trends, driven by economic diversification and political stability.
  • Nigeria (-47%), Angola (-36%), and Algeria (-23%) recorded the steepest declines, reflecting oil dependence, currency challenges, and political instability.
  • Africa overall saw a -5% dip, showing that while select countries are thriving, the continent’s wealth distribution has shifted unevenly.
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  • Russia is the volume leader with 37.3M carats, nearly 1.5× Botswana’s 25.1M carats.
  • Botswana punches above its weight: though producing 33% fewer carats than Russia, its output value almost matches Russia's due to higher value per carat price.
  • Eight of the top 10 producers are African (Botswana, Angola, DR Congo, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Lesotho).
  • Low-volume producers like Namibia (2.4M ct → $1.2B) highlight how smaller deposits can yield high-value diamonds.
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  • Cape Verde attracted no foreign direct investment during the early 1990s, signalling limited investor interest at the time.
  • FDI inflows skyrocketed from $130M in 2006 to an all-time high of $170M in 2008, before stabilising above $100M for most of the 2010s.
  • The country experienced large swings, ranging from a high of $150M (2014) to lows of $50M (2020).
  • Despite recovering to $130M in 2023, inflows dropped sharply to $60M in 2024, the weakest figure in over a decade.
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  • Aliko Dangote of Nigeria is the richest Black billionaire globally, with more than double the wealth of the next African on the list.
  • Six of the top 10 billionaires are American, led by David Steward ($11.4B) and Robert F. Smith ($10.8B).
  • Nigeria is the only African country with multiple names: Dangote ($23.9B), Mike Adenuga ($6.8B), and Abdulsamad Rabiu ($5.1B).
  • Fortunes span industries from cement, oil, and telecoms in Africa to tech, investment, sports, and entertainment in the US.
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  • Egypt and South Africa dominate Africa’s space presence, with 14 and 13 satellites respectively, accounting for nearly one-third of the continent’s total.
  • Nigeria (7), Algeria (6), and Morocco (5) form the next tier, highlighting North and West Africa as emerging hubs in satellite development.
  • The majority of other African countries with satellites, including Rwanda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Djibouti and Angola, have two satellites each.
  • Out of 54 African nations, only 18 have any satellites in orbit, underscoring the vast disparity in space investment and technological capacity across the continent.
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  • 446 Ghanaian scholars are in the US as of the 2023/24 academic session, making up 9.5% of the total number of African scholars in the US.
  • In the 2000/01 academic session, Ghana was the 7th leading source of African scholars with only 75 Ghanaian scholars in the US.
  • Nearly 1 in African scholars in the US is a Ghanaian.
  • Ghana scholarly population in the US have grown by 497%.
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  • Black River, Mauritius, saw the fastest growth in millionaires: more than 105% over 10 years, adding about 560 new millionaires.
  • Marrakech, Morocco, grew by 67%, gaining roughly 680 millionaires from tourism and luxury real estate.
  • Whale Coast, South Africa, added around 600 millionaires with 50% growth, driven by lifestyle migration.
  • Cape Winelands, South Africa, gained about 1,100 millionaires, growing 42% over the decade.
  • Cape Town grew more modestly at 33%, but had the largest absolute gain—over 2,100 millionaires—reaching 8,500 total.
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  • US imports from Africa jumped 24% to $23.4 billion in H1 2025 despite tariffs.
  • Egypt led gains, doubling its surplus with the US to $2.73 billion.
  • Nigeria swung into a $576 million surplus, reversing last year’s deficit.
  • South Africa’s deficit with the US nearly doubled to $6.32 billion, dragging the overall balance.
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  • Africa’s population grew by 580.4%, from 228M in 1950 to 1.6B in 2025, making it the fastest-growing continent.
  • Asia remains the most populated continent, reaching 4.8B people in 2025, up from 1.4B in 1950.
  • Europe’s growth has been the slowest, at just 35.6%, rising from 549M to 744M.
  • Latin America & the Caribbean grew by 298%, from 168M to 668M.
  • North America more than doubled its population, growing by 130.7% from 168M to 388M.
  • Oceania saw a 270% increase, though it remains the least populated continent at 47M people.
  • Africa’s population is now more than double Europe’s, a major demographic shift compared to 1950.
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  • 2024 was the strongest year on record, with 495.6k tons of cargo transported, more than 60% higher than 2023 and ₦1.95 billion in freight revenue.
  • Cargo volume and revenue both crashed in 2020 due to COVID-19 disruptions, falling to 87.4k tons and ₦281.4 million respectively.
  • Recovery began in 2021–2022, as improved freight operations and industrial demand pushed steady gains in both tonnage and income.
  • Q1 2025 shows 181.5k tons and ₦650m (approx.) in revenue, signaling strong momentum that could surpass 2024 totals if maintained.
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  • 2020 marked the lowest point for both passenger volume (1.02 million) and revenue (₦1.7 billion), reflecting the full impact of COVID-19 lockdowns.
  • Strong recovery followed in 2021, with passenger numbers jumping to 2.71 million and revenue surging by 226% to ₦5.6 billion.
  • 2024 was the best-performing year, recording ₦6.7 billion in revenue and 3.14 million passengers, a clear sign of renewed public confidence in rail transport.
  • Q1 2025 (₦1.9 billion revenue, 929,000 passengers) suggests steady ridership levels but moderate momentum compared to the 2024 surge.
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  • Nigeria’s domestic debt jumped from ₦3.8 trillion in 2010 to ₦80.55 trillion by mid-2025.
  • Foreign debts increased from $4.27 billion in 2010 to $46.98 billion in 2025, reflecting growing reliance on external financing.
  • Debt accumulation surged notably after 2020, coinciding with pandemic spending, naira depreciation, and higher fiscal deficits.
  • The widening gap between revenue and debt service raises questions about Nigeria’s long-term debt sustainability.
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  • Africa received $96.4 billion in remittances in 2024.
  • Egypt ($22.7B) and Nigeria ($19.8B) dominated inflows, accounting for nearly half of the continent’s total.
  • Egypt’s 16% growth reflects stronger remittance networks and economic linkages with its diaspora.
  • Nigeria’s inflows grew modestly (1%).
  • Ghana recorded the highest growth (91%), indicating a resurgence in diaspora remittances.
  • Zimbabwe (-6%) and Tunisia (-3%) experienced declines, pointing to potential disruptions in inflow channels.
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  • Nigeria’s energy goods exports rose from ₦37.3B in 2017 to ₦262.9B in 2024, before falling to ₦154.2B in H1 2025.
  • Imports remained consistently low, ranging from ₦24.2M to ₦353.1M throughout the period.
  • Export growth outpaced imports, showing a widening trade surplus in energy goods.
  • The 2024 spike in exports represents the highest export value within the nine-year window.
  • Energy imports stayed below ₦400M yearly, indicating low dependency on foreign energy goods.
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  • 2.3 million Kenyan adults lack a national ID, a significant barrier to full participation in the formal economy.
  • The 18–25 age group dominates the ID-less population, accounting for 80.5% (around 1.9 million individuals).
  • Young adults face the highest exclusion risk, often missing out on opportunities that require verified identification.
  • Only 8.5% of the ID-less population falls within the ages 26–35, showing a sharp improvement in ID ownership as people age.
  • Older adults (46+ years) make up less than 10% of the ID-less group, indicating near-universal ID access among mature populations.
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