Key Takeaways:

• Global gold production rose from 2,830.80 tonnes in 2010 to 3,646.07 tonnes in 2023.
• The most significant year-over-year growth occurred between 2012 and 2013, with an increase of over 178 tonnes.
• A temporary decline in production was recorded in 2019 and 2020, reflecting pandemic-related disruptions.
• Production recovered quickly post-pandemic, reaching a record 3,646.07 tonnes by 2023.
• Over the last fourteen years, gold mine output grew at an average annual rate of approximately 2%.
• Growth from 2021 to 2023 was more moderate compared to earlier years.

• Tunisia held the top spot with the strongest African currency, trading at 3.11 TND per USD in 2024.
• Libya followed as the second-strongest, with an exchange rate of 4.83 LYD per USD.
• Morocco maintained a strong regional position, with its dirham trading at 9.94 MAD per USD.
• Botswana’s pula was relatively stable, exchanging at 13.56 per USD, highlighting Southern Africa’s economic steadiness.
• Ghana and Seychelles had closely matched exchange rates, trading at 14.48 and 14.53 to the dollar, respectively.
• South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, and Eswatini all shared almost identical exchange rates of around 18.32–18.33 per USD, showing tight regional monetary coordination.

• Eastern Africa is the continent's fastest-growing region in 2024 with a GDP growth rate of 5.39%, but it also faces the highest inflation at 17.76%.
• Southern Africa has the lowest inflation (3.48%) but also the highest unemployment by far, at 28.64%.
• Western Africa combines growth (3.57%) with low unemployment (4.53%), positioning it as a relatively stable economic zone.
• Central Africa and Northern Africa both lag in GDP growth, at 1.40% and 2.90% respectively, with Central Africa also experiencing moderate inflation and interest rates.
• Interest rates are highest in Western (10.84%) and Eastern Africa (10.12%), reflecting tighter monetary policies likely aimed at controlling inflation.
• Northern Africa’s 11.15% unemployment rate suggests underlying labour market issues despite moderate inflation and interest rates.
• Southern Africa's low interest rate (6.29%) hasn't translated into job creation, indicating that monetary easing alone isn't resolving unemployment challenges.

• Chat and Messaging apps lead globally, engaging 94.5% of internet users as of Q3 2024.
• Social Networks follow closely behind at 94.4%, nearly matching messaging apps in global user engagement.
• Search Engines and Web Portals still see high use, engaging 82.3% of users.
• Email services remain highly relevant, used by 75% of internet users globally.
• Shopping, Auctions, and Classifieds apps are also prominent, used by 74.9% of users.
• Location-based services like maps and ride-sharing apps engage 55.3%, indicating a strong but more practical use case.
• Games remain a niche category, with only 32.6% of users engaging with gaming apps compared to much higher engagement with communication or shopping platforms.

Key takeaways:

• The United States holds the largest national gold reserves in 2024, totalling 8,133.46 tonnes.
• Western European countries in the top ten list collectively hold 9,892.76 tonnes of gold reserves.
• China, India, and Japan are the only Asian countries in the top 10, together holding 4,001.71 tonnes.
• The Russian Federation is the leading gold reserve holder in Central and Eastern Europe, with 2,332.74 tonnes.
• All countries in the top ten list maintain at least 600 tonnes of gold reserves.
• The total gold reserve held by the top ten countries amounted to 24,360.67 tonnes.

Key takeaways:

• China leads all nations with total reserves of $3.46 trillion while holding 5.53% of its share in gold reserves.
• The top 15 countries collectively hold a total reserve of $10.78 trillion.
• Despite being the global leader in gold reserves, the United States ranks third in total reserves.
• The largest share of the United States' total reserves is from its gold reserve holdings of 74.97%.
• Countries in the top fifteen list hold at least $236.9 billion each in total reserves.
• The United States, France, and Italy have more than 70% of their total reserve holdings in gold.

Key Takeaways:

• Ghana led the continent in gold production in 2023, producing 135.11 tonnes, 13.5% of Africa’s total.
• Four countries (Ghana, Mali, South Africa, and Burkina Faso) each produced over 95 tonnes, together accounting for 443 tonnes or 44.1% of the continent’s output.
• West African countries dominated the rankings, with eight nations from the region among the top 15 producers.
• The West African countries in the top 15 combined contributed 525.55 tonnes, more than half (52.3%) of Africa's total gold production.
• South Africa ranked third in Africa with 104.29 tonnes.
• Burkina Faso ranked fourth while contributing almost 10% of Africa’s gold production.

Key Takeaways:

• In 2023, Africa was the world’s leading gold-producing region, with a total output of 1,003.98 tonnes.
• Asia followed with 661.30 tonnes, representing 18.1% of the world’s gold output.
• The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) produced 570.90 tonnes, making up 15.7% of the global total.
• North America and Central & South America contributed 485.17 tonnes and 542.13 tonnes, respectively.
• Oceania was a key producer with 343.29 tonnes, or 9.4% of global output.
• Europe contributed the least, producing only 39.30 tonnes, which is about 1.1% of the total.
• Altogether, global gold production reached 3,646.07 tonnes in 2023.

• The Tunisian dinar stood at TND 2.15 per US$ in 2016 and has since depreciated to TND 3.11 per US$ in 2024.
• Between 2016 and 2019, the dinar saw a strong depreciation.
• 2020 marked a turning point with a 4.16% appreciation, the first notable currency strengthening in the period observed.
• From 2022 onward, the exchange rate has stabilised closely around TND 3.10 to TND 3.11 per US$, with minimal yearly changes of 0.08% and 0.04%.
• The largest year-on-year depreciation occurred in 2017 with a 12.63% change.
• Despite the earlier years of high volatility, Tunisia’s currency performance in the last three years suggests better monetary management and external stability.

• Somalia has the lowest AIDI score in Africa at 7.10, reflecting extremely poor infrastructure across all sectors.
• South Sudan (7.38) and Niger (8.12) rank slightly higher, showing similarly weak infrastructure profiles.
• Ethiopia (13.09) and the Central African Republic (13.23), though more advanced than others on the list, still score under 15.
• Nigeria's AIDI score of 25.70, while not high by global standards, is more than three times higher than Somalia’s, indicating major disparities in infrastructure across the continent.

• An average of ~38,000 RSA accounts use the 25% withdrawal option each year.
• Total amounts tapped rose from ₦19.1B (2019) to ₦35.5B (2023) as balances grew.
• Total amount withdrawn from 2017 through Q3 2024 was ₦198.3B.
• Despite rising amounts, the count of withdrawals fell from ~57,000 in 2017–18 to ~38,000 since 2019.
• Amount withdrawn jumped by 32% in 2023.

• Global cotton production grew by over 160%, from about 9.5 million tonnes in 1961 to 24.8 million tonnes in 2022.
• China’s Reign: 41 years at number one. Biggest output: 7.62M tonnes in 2007.
• USA’s Era: 13 years at the top. Peak production: 5.20M tonnes in 2005.
• USSR’s Legacy: 5 years crowned. Best year: 2.89M tonnes in 1981.
• India’s Late Charge: Only 3 years at number one, but a huge 6.13M tonnes in 2020.
• Shift to Asia: In the early decades, USA dominated; now, it’s mostly China and India running the game.