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.
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.
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.
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.
Nigeria's national grid has experienced 12 collapses so far in 2024, a troubling trend that reveals the fragility of the country's energy infrastructure. The timeline highlights intervals ranging from as short as one day to as long as 82 days between incidents. Notably, two consecutive collapses occurred on October 14 and October 15, while a total of 9 collapses occurred in the second half of the year.
Yesterday's collapse came 35 days after November 7, when the grid went down for the 11th time.
In 2024, the top ten universities in Nigeria graduated 3,047 first-class students. Seventeen per cent of private university students in Nigeria earned first-class degrees, compared to 3% in federal/state universities.
The University of Benin convocated the most first-class students (385), while the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) had the least, with 122.
Covenant University had the highest proportion, with one in five students graduating with a first class.
Participation in Nigeria’s National Open Apprenticeship Scheme has dropped by over 50% since 2021, with male and female enrolments declining significantly; over the years, there have been more female participants. The declining participation rates raise questions about awareness, funding, and programme efficiency.
For many Nigerian youths, apprenticeship programmes are a gateway to self-reliance and stable income. The National Open Apprenticeship Scheme is a National Directorate of Employment (NDE) programme that upskills unskilled and unemployed people and equips them with relevant demand-driven skills.
The Report of Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria 2023, published by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics this week, shows that over one million IDPs live in camps in Adamawa, Benue, Borno, Katsina, Nasarawa, Sokoto, and Yobe.
Borno State accounts for the highest number of IDPs in Nigeria, with 77.3% of IDPs surveyed living in the state's 221 camps. The state has faced insecurity from Boko Haram, with 99.9% of IDPs citing the insurgency as the reason for their displacement.
Across IDP camps surveyed by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the share of people displaced from their homes for four years or more ranges from 27% in Katsina to 92.5% in Nasarawa.
Most IDPs across the surveyed states have been displaced for at least four years, with only Sokoto and Katsina recording fewer than 50%. This reflects how long insecurity has persisted and the difficulties displaced persons face in returning home.
When streaming giant Netflix expanded its footprint to 130 countries in 2016, Nigeria was among the markets it entered. The company began by acquiring local content from producers and soon transitioned into creating original productions, investing $23.6m by 2022.
These original productions have achieved significant milestones. Titles like The Black Book and Jagun Jagun reached the global top ten for English and non-English films, respectively, within a week of their release.
In 2024 alone, Netflix has revised its monthly subscription fees twice. The Premium plan now costs ₦7,000, up from ₦4,400 at the beginning of the year, while the cheapest option—the mobile plan—has increased from ₦1,200 to ₦2,200.
