Key Takeaways:

• The average price for 12.5kg cooking gas varies between ₦15,000 and ₦20,300
• The average price difference of cooking gas among Nigerian states is 28.97%
• Four out of the six states in the Southwest region are among the top 20 Nigerian states with the highest average cooking gas prices
• Nine out of Nigeria's 36 states plus Abuja have an average price for 12.5kg cooking gas that exceeds ₦18,000
• Taraba State stands out as the only state in Nigeria with an average cooking gas price surpassing ₦20,000
• The national average price of 12.5kg cooking gas in Nigeria is ₦17,274.16

Key takeaways:

• The average kerosene price increased by approximately 70.5%, rising from ₦1,206.1 in May 2023 to ₦2,056.4 in December 2024.
• Prices witnessed a moderate growth rate of 13% from May to December 2023, while the rate of increase escalated sharply in 2024, with a rise of 50.9% from January to December 2024.
• A notable acceleration in prices began in July 2024, when the price per litre first surpassed ₦1,700.
• The average price in December 2024 (₦2,056.4) was 51% greater than the average price in December 2023 (₦1,362.3).

Key Takeaways: 

• The northern regions of Nigeria experienced higher prices than the southern regions, except for the North East.
• The North Central region had the highest average kerosene cost, while the South East reported the lowest.
• There is a significant price difference of about ₦483.7 between the region with the highest price (North Central) and the region with the lowest (South East).
• Households in the North Central region will likely spend a larger portion of their budget on kerosene than those in the South East region.

• Transportation received $6.2 billion dollars, which accounts for 65% of all Chinese loans to Nigeria
• Energy projects received $1.2 billion, highlighting China’s role in Nigeria’s power infrastructure
• Industry and trade/services had the least funding at $368.2 million dollars, reflecting lower Chinese loan priorities in these areas
• China’s loans to Nigeria between 2000 and 2023 have largely focused on infrastructure development, particularly in transportation and energy

• Construction and mining dominate Chinese FDI in Africa, accounting for nearly 60% of the total investments
• Financial intermediation, manufacturing, and commercial services also received $10.96 billion combined, smaller than construction alone
• Leasing and commercial services attracted $2.16 billion, the least among all sectors
• China’s FDI strategy in Africa continues to emphasise resource extraction and infrastructure, reinforcing economic interdependence

• Energy attracted the largest share of Chinese loans to Africa, totalling $62.7 billion across 207 loans
• Transportation received $52.7 billion—the second-highest amount—through 336 loans, making it the most frequently financed sector
• Agriculture ($2.4 billion) and education ($2 billion) received relatively low funding, reflecting China’s focus on infrastructure
• Smaller sectors like non-energy mining and services/social protection had minimal Chinese loan activity

• Over 60% of Kenya’s bank loans for foreign trade were used to fund imports, limiting resources for exports.
• In all six months, exports received less than 40% of the credit allocation, highlighting a significant gap.
• Import credit peaked at 66.23% in June
• The import-export credit ratio remained relatively stable, suggesting an ongoing structural trend in trade financing.
• To balance trade, policies could focus on enhancing export production, incentives for exporters, and easing export credit access.

• The United States leads with a massive $1.1 trillion in trade deficit, over four times larger than India's $245.5 billion deficit
• India and the United Kingdom follow, each exceeding $230 billion in trade deficits, reflecting high import reliance
• The USA’s trade imbalance alone surpasses the combined deficits of the other nine countries on this list
• Six of the top ten countries with the largest deficits are European economies

• FirstBank and Union Bank have operated in Nigeria for over a century, making them the longest-surviving commercial banks
• Three of Nigeria’s largest banks today, GTBank, Zenith Bank, and Access Bank, were founded in the late 20th century
• Citibank is the oldest foreign bank in Nigeria
• Only five banks have existed in Nigeria for over fifty years

• Netflix leads the global streaming market with 301.63 million subscribers
• Amazon Prime follows with 200 million, making these two platforms account for over 500 million subscribers combined
• Disney+ and Tencent Video signal the rise of regional and diverse content, with Disney+ at 124.6 million and Tencent Video at 116 million
• Smaller platforms struggle to compete, with services like Apple TV having significantly lower numbers

• Egypt and Morocco dominate Africa’s trade deficit, with a combined shortfall of $50.8 billion dollars, which surpasses the total deficit of the other eight countries on the list
• North African economies — Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia — account for more than half of the total trade deficit across the top 10
• East African economies also feature prominently, with Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania making up a significant share of the deficit
• Smaller economies like Rwanda and Uganda post notable deficits, though on a much smaller scale than their North and East African counterparts