• Nigeria leads Africa in total arable land with 36,872,000 hectares, more than twice that of Niger, the second-ranking country.
• Niger ranks second with 17,700,000 hectares.
• The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) ranks third with 13,680,000 hectares, revealing the role of Central Africa in agricultural land availability.
• Other notable countries include Chad (5.3M hectares), Zambia (3.8M hectares), and Guinea (3.1M hectares).
• The countries at the bottom of the top ten list, such as Congo (550,000 hectares), Liberia (500,000 hectares), and Mauritania (450,000 hectares), have relatively limited arable land compared to leading nations.

• The number of artists earning over $5,000 in royalties from Spotify has risen from 36,400 in 2017 to 110,500 in 2024, a 205% increase.
• The growth trend accelerated significantly after 2020, crossing 80,000 artists by 2021.
• Between 2017 and 2019, the growth rate was slower, rising from 36,400 to 53,700 artists in two years.
• The most significant jumps happened between 2019-2021, as numbers surged from 53,700 to 81,700 artists.
• The consistent rise suggests increased monetisation opportunities for independent and mainstream artists on Spotify.

• Avatar remains the highest-grossing movie globally, earning $2.92 billion.
• Titanic, released in 1997, is still among the top-grossing films with $2.22 billion, showing the lasting appeal of classics.
• Recent films like Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.32 billion) and Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.92 billion) prove that sequels and superhero films continue to drive massive revenues.
• Disney properties dominate the list, with multiple Marvel, Star Wars, and animated films ranking among the top earners.

• Dangote first announced the refinery in 2013 with a $9 billion plan, securing $3.3 billion in funding.
• The estimated cost grew to $15 billion in 2017, as planned refining capacity increased to 650,000 barrels per day.
• By 2023, the refinery was finally commissioned, after its total cost surged past $20 billion.
• In December 2023, the first crude supply of 1 million barrels arrived, marking the start of operations.
• By 2024, the refinery began producing diesel and jet fuel, with 6 million barrels received for processing.

Key takeaways:

• In 2024, BUA Foods hit new heights, with gross profit for Q4 surpassing ₦189 billion.
• A remarkable surge occurred in 2024, with quarterly gross profits regularly exceeding ₦100 billion.
• The fourth quarter of 2024 marked a significant peak, illustrating a 200% increase from Q4 2023.
• BUA Foods' gross profit dramatically climbed from approximately ₦25 billion in 2021 to nearly ₦190 billion in Q4 2024.

• Eastern Africa is the most populous region, making up 33.09% of Africa’s total population, with over 507 million people.
• Together, Eastern and Western Africa house over 63% of Africa’s total population, indicating where much of the continent’s human capital and economic activity will be concentrated.
• Northern Africa has 274.1 million people (17.89%), while Central Africa has 216.3 million (14.11%), placing them in the mid-range of Africa’s population distribution.
• Southern Africa is by far the least populous region, contributing just 4.8% (73.6 million people) to Africa’s 1.5 billion total.
• The population contrast across regions highlights key differences in urbanisation, economic opportunities, and development needs.
• Understanding Africa’s population distribution is crucial for businesses, policymakers, and investors, as future economic growth, consumer markets, and labour forces will be heavily influenced by these demographic trends.

• Asia remains the world's population giant, housing nearly 59% of the global population.
• Africa’s population boom is accelerating, contributing 18.7% of the world’s people.
• Europe is shrinking in global demographic weight, making up only 9.09% of the world’s people.
• Oceania remains sparsely populated, with just 0.57% of the global population.
• Demographic trends will shape economic power, as nations with younger populations could become economic engines if properly harnessed.
• Urbanisation and resource allocation will become critical, especially in Asia and Africa, where rising populations will put pressure on housing, food, and infrastructure.

• Nearly half of the global population is aged between 20 and 54, making this group the primary driver of economic activities worldwide.
• Individuals under 19 years old make up 32.9% of the total global population, highlighting the need for sustained investments in education and child welfare.
• Over 19% of the population is aged 55 and above, emphasising the need for healthcare, retirement planning, and age-friendly policies.
• With 2.10 billion people, the 35-54 group represents the backbone of global leadership, corporate decision-making, and financial stability.

Key Takeaways:

• In 2007/08, personal income tax (PIT) contributed 29.46% of total tax revenue, while corporate income tax (CIT) added a substantial 24.46%.
• The share of personal income tax in tax revenue rose by 27% from 2007/08 to 2023/24.
• Corporate income tax contribution declined by 26% from 2007/08 to 2023/24.
• In 2019/20, personal income tax made the largest contribution to tax revenue (38.9%), a 32% rise from the 2007/08 contribution.
• Other taxes showed minor variations, averaging around 19% of total tax revenue.
• Personal income tax reached its peak contribution at 38.92% in 2019/20 before dropping by 4% in 2023/24.

Key Takeaways:

• Nestlé’s dividends increase year after year was highest in 2018 and 2019 at ₦17.83 billion and ₦12.68 billion, respectively.
• The declared dividends reached a peak of ₦55.49 billion in 2020, while the lowest was recorded at ₦15.06 billion in 2016.
• In recent years, Nestlé Nigeria Plc has shown a declining trend in declared dividends.
• Dividends decreased by nearly 14%, 17%, and 28% in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively, compared to the previous years.

Key takeaways:

• Nestlé Nigeria's income tax contributions rose from ₦5.6 billion in 2015 to ₦57 billion in 2024.
• In 2024, the company saw an extraordinary 132% rise in taxes compared to the previous year.
• Despite facing economic hurdles during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nestlé ensured that its tax contributions remained above ₦21 billion annually from 2020 to 2022.
• The significant spike in 2024 was mainly due to a considerable loss before tax, driven by heightened finance costs stemming from the devaluation of the Naira.
• Nestlé Nigeria's 144% income tax growth in 2016 is the highest in the past ten years.

• Africa now spends 27.5% of revenue on interest payments, nearly 4 times higher than in 2008.
• The debt burden is rising faster than economic growth as interest payments as a percentage of GDP grew from 5.4% in 2008 to 8.2% in 2024, showing increasing financial strain.
• Effective interest rates have more than tripled from 1.4% in 2008 to 5.0% in 2024, making debt less affordable.
• Between 2008 and 2019, the ratio of interest to revenue rose by 12.2 percentage points, and in five years (2019–2024), it surged by another 8.5 percentage points.
• As borrowing costs rise, the risk of defaults and fiscal crises in African economies grows, making financial stability a concern.
• More money spent on debt means less for roads, hospitals, and schools, slowing down long-term economic progress.