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  • Per projections made by Goldman Sachs, China should lead the global economy in terms of GDP by the year 2075, closely followed by India and the US. Nigeria and Egypt are the only African countries expected to be in the top 15 by that time.

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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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    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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  • 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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  • 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
  • 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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  • The highest-ranked countries have managed to provide electricity to every single citizen.
  • Four of the six countries with 100% access are from North Africa.
  • The list isn't a continuous climb; there's a big jump down from the 100% group to the rest of the top 15.
  • The data shows that with the right investment and policies, it is a very realistic goal for a country to achieve full electrification.
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  • Sudan’s debt-to-GDP ratio of 238.8% is the highest in Africa and over twice the size of its economy.
  • Three African countries—Sudan, Cabo Verde, and Zambia—have debt burdens exceeding 100% of their GDP.
  • Egypt, Mozambique, and the Congo Republic follow closely with ratios above 88% each, despite efforts at economic reform.
  • Ghana and Sierra Leone are also in the top 10, showing that West Africa isn’t exempt from debt pressure.
  • Nigeria, while not in the top 10, has a debt-to-GDP ratio of 41.3% and ranks 43rd in Africa.
  • A high debt-to-GDP ratio often limits a country’s ability to invest in growth-driving sectors, even if the economy is growing nominally.
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  • DR Congo has the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in Africa, at just 11.1%.
  • Africa’s average debt-to-GDP ratio stands at 63.2%, meaning most countries on the bottom 10 list are performing better than the continental average.
  • Nigeria, despite its size and challenges, still maintains a relatively moderate debt load of 41.3%.
  • Botswana’s debt ratio of 18.1% places it among Africa’s most fiscally conservative economies.
  • Ethiopia and Guinea, both undergoing major economic transitions, still keep debt levels below 32%.
  • The presence of both low-income and resource-rich countries on the list shows that low debt isn’t exclusive to one economic model.
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  • The low access rates in nations like South Sudan and the Central African Republic are often linked to conflict and instability.
  • Fourteen countries on the continent have less than 50% of their population with electricity.
  • At the very bottom of the list, South Sudan has a 5.40% access rate, while Burundi stands at 11.60% and Chad at 12.00%.
  • Twelve African countries have less than 40% access.
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