Key Takeaways:

• Soybeans topped the US' agricultural exports in 2024, followed by corn and beef.
• The top 10 agricultural commodities made up 56.6% of the total value of the US' agricultural exports.
• Plant-based exports (soybeans, corn, tree nuts, soybean meal, wheat) contributed over 34% of the total agricultural export value.
• The combined value of the top 10 exports exceeded $99.73 billion.
• Animal proteins (beef, pork, and poultry) together represented 13.9% of total US agricultural exports.

• Over 36% of candidates earned a Second Class Lower.
• One in every 27 candidates achieved a First Class Honours.
• More than 16% secured a Second Class Upper.
• 181 candidates were absent for the exam, roughly 2.5% of the total.
• 327 candidates earned a Conditional Pass, requiring further requirements for full qualification.

• The Netherlands led with 18.6% of South Africa’s citrus exports in 2023.
• The U.S. accounted for 5.8% of South Africa’s citrus exports, a small share compared to Europe and UAE.
• South African citrus exports to the U.S. in 2023 was valued at $141 million.
• Other markets, like the UK and UAE, played a larger role in South Africa’s citrus trade.
• Market diversity may reduce the impact of the trending U.S. tariff on South Africa’s overall citrus export.

• Djibouti’s inflation reached a peak in 2022, with 5.18%, the highest in the past decade.
• The lowest inflation rate occurred in 2015, with a negative value of -0.85%.
• From 2014 to 2023, Djibouti experienced fluctuating inflation, with increases in 2016, 2019, and 2022.
• Between 2022 and 2023, inflation decreased from 5.18% to 1.50%.
• The year 2018 saw the lowest inflation among positive rates, with a modest 0.15%.
• The overall trend shows periodic inflation spikes, particularly in 2016, 2019, and 2022, while other years maintained relatively stable or lower inflation.

• The total number of out-of-school children in primary education in Lesotho rose to 96,388 in 2023, an increase of 40,511 from 2015.
• The number of children out of school in 2021 saw a sharp rise to 92,290, up from 69,906 in 2020.
• The gender gap remained relatively stable, with more boys than girls out of school each year.
• The overall trend shows a steady increase in the total number of children out of school, especially in the past five years.

Key Takeaways:

• Petroleum products (crude oil and other oil products) dominated Nigeria's export landscape in 2024, accounting for 88.26% of total export value.
• Agricultural exports contributed 5.73% to export value, despite Nigeria's significant agricultural potential.
• The manufacturing sector made up just 2.95% of the total export value.
• Nigeria’s total export value reached ₦77.44 trillion in 2024 from ₦35.96 trillion in 2023.
• Non-oil sectors collectively made up less than 12% of export value.

Key Takeaways:

• Crude oil remains Nigeria’s largest export, while refined petroleum products lead imports.
• Natural gas ranks as the second-largest export, contributing 9.71% of the total export value.
• The top five imported products account for 32.28% of Nigeria’s global imports.
• The top ten exports represent over 95% of Nigeria’s total export value.

Key Takeaways:

• Maritime transport dominated Nigeria’s international trade in Q4 2024, accounting for 98.79% of total exports and 90.15% of total imports.
• Air transport contributed significantly to imports (9.03%) but played a minimal role in exports (0.64%).
• Road and other transport modes made negligible contributions to both imports and exports.
• Total trade across all transport modes reached ₦36.6 trillion, resulting in a positive trade balance.

• India tops the list with 651.6 million people offline — almost five times Nigeria’s number, but a smaller percentage (44.7%) of its population.
• China has 311.9 million unconnected people, but that’s only 22% of its population.
• With 78.7% of its population offline (105.2M people), Ethiopia has the lowest internet penetration among the top countries listed.
• Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Pakistan all have over 50% of their populations unconnected.
• Despite their smaller populations, over 70% of people in both Tanzania and Uganda remain offline.
• While Nigeria is a regional tech hub, it still has over 128 million people offline, pointing to a major disconnect between urban tech growth and rural internet access.

• Diesel prices in Adamawa skyrocketed by 92.77%, the most significant year-on-year increase nationwide, more than 4x the national average.
• Many northern states, including Plateau (72.12%), Benue (60.57%), and Kano (54.76%), experienced steep diesel cost increases, intensifying regional cost disparities.
• States like Gombe (-10%), Edo (-9.68%), and Kogi (-6.29%) bucked the national trend, offering some relief from rising energy costs.
• The Federal Capital Territory recorded the highest absolute diesel price in the country.
• Some states, such as Akwa Ibom (+2.17%) and Ebonyi (+2.23%), saw minimal changes.
• Despite being a commercial hub, Lagos recorded one of the lowest diesel prices at ₦1,222.22, with a relatively small increase of 5.21%.

• Diesel prices in the North East soared by 36.26%, the highest increase nationwide.
• All three northern zones—North East (36.26%), North Central (33.71%), and North West (15.44%)—saw the steepest fuel price increases, outpacing their southern counterparts.
• The South East (6.97%) and South South (9.23%) recorded the lowest diesel price increases.
• The South West experienced a moderate rise at 13.30%, positioning it between the extremes of northern and other southern zones.
• The uneven price changes point to a broader issue of fuel supply chain challenges, infrastructure, and perhaps market inefficiencies affecting certain regions more than others.

• Francophone Africa attracted $1.8 billion in private capital in 2021, about 9x the previous year (2020).
• That same year saw 34 deals, which is quite high when compared to some other years, indicating strong investor confidence.
• In 2024, deal value amounted to just $0.1 billion, and deal volume to 19, pointing to a significant cooling in activity.
• Between 2012 and 2015, the region saw low deal values, with both 2014 and 2015 recording just $0.01 billion in investments.
• A notable spike occurred in 2017 with $0.7 billion invested across 17 deals, marking the first major surge before 2021's breakout.
• Deal counts haven’t always aligned with capital volume. For instance, 2023 had 42 deals but only $0.4B, suggesting a trend of smaller-sized investments.