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.

Ogun State is the top location for private universities, with 16 universities, while the top eight states collectively account for 50% of Nigeria's 149 private universities. Bauchi and Yobe are the only states with no private universities.

As of 2024, 149 private universities are accredited by the National Universities Commission. Southern Nigeria houses 62%, with the South West leading at 47 universities, while the North East has the fewest, with just 5 (3%).

Bayelsa, Gombe, and Katsina States have the fewest accredited universities — five each — of the 274 in Nigeria in 2024. Ogun leads with 19, followed closely by Abuja (17) and Delta (15).

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.

Nomadic primary school enrolment in Nigeria remains most prevalent in the North West, with over 503,000 children enroled in 2021, significantly higher than any other region. Enrolment numbers have shown gradual improvement across most regions.

Nearly one in two accredited universities in Nigeria is located in the South West or North Central. The South West has the highest number of private and federal universities, with a total of 71 universities, while the North East has the fewest, with 21 universities.

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.