Over the years, merchants on agency banking platforms have played an important role in bringing the banking system closer to people. They also played a key role during Nigeria's cash crunch in Q1 2023. Despite their importance, there have been reports of people using them to commit fraud, prompting the government's recent decision to have all POS agents registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. As of March 2024, 2.69 million POS terminals had been deployed, including those used as payment options.
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.
Rising fuel costs are impacting transportation prices of goods and services, straining household budgets and contributing to inflation. The average cost of petrol in Nigeria has increased by 25% since July 2023. Diesel prices have seen an even sharper increase of 85%, rising from a national average of ₦794 in July 2023 to ₦1,462 in June 2024.
The 2024 Global Peace Index reveals a decline in peacefulness in 97 countries, the highest since the index began.
Nigeria is among the nations affected by regional conflicts and rising violence. With a peace index score of 2.91, Nigeria is facing increasing challenges.
A deteriorating peace score impacts foreign investment and economic stability. Global economic losses due to violence reached $19.1 trillion in 2023.
Malawi's remittance inflow increased from $747k in 2000 to $263.4 million in 2023, with the highest year-on-year growth rate recorded in 2003. However, the biggest gain in value occurred in 2018, when it increased by $102.2 million over 2017.
Africa's sanitation crisis is alarming, with 17 of the top 20 countries having the highest open defecation rates.
Eritrea (67%), Niger (65%), and Chad (63%) lead, putting millions at risk of disease.
Even Nigeria, the most populous African country, has 18% of its population practising it.
Over the past six decades, African economies have experienced both rapid growth and severe contractions.
Nigeria and South Africa, often considered the continent’s economic heavyweights, have consistently ranked among Africa's top three economies since 1960.
North African Libya, Algeria and Egypt have also been in the top three in the period.
As of 2023, Egypt led the continent's GDP rankings.
In Q2 2024, Nigeria’s Company Income Tax (CIT) collections reached ₦2.47 trillion, a record-high figure that could cover about 9% of the nation’s ₦28.78 trillion budget.
The surge may be due to improved corporate profitability, better tax compliance, and stricter enforcement. The higher exchange rate probably played a role too.
With an average growth rate of 10.51%, the number of active Internet subscribers in Zimbabwe increased from 3.95 million in 2012 to 11.24 million in 2023. In contrast, the number of new mobile subscribers increased by just 2.36 million over 12 years.
In the same time, the population and active mobile subscribers of the southern African nation grew at average rates of 2.10% and 1.82%, respectively.
Since 2020, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has seen a 1,048% profit increase, totalling ₦6.8 trillion over four years.
From nearly eliminating losses in 2019, NNPC achieved a 16,982% profit surge in 2020. The growth persisted with 135% in 2021 and 278% in 2022.
Despite a steady 29% increase in 2023, rising debts and fuel scarcity cast doubt on the sustainability of this success.
Since its inception, Binance has demonstrated remarkable growth, ending its first year with 1.5 million users and increasing its user base nearly eightfold the following year. Over six years, it has established itself as the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world, reaching 150 million users by 2023. This growth highlights Binance's significant impact on the global crypto market and its commitment to expanding access to digital assets.
