South Africa leads as Africa’s digitally delivered services exports hit $41.3 billion in 2024, less than 1 percent of the world total

  • Africa exported $41.3 billion in digital services in 2024, less than 1 percent of the world total.
  • South Africa was the continent’s top exporter with $7.05 billion.
  • Morocco ($6.74 billion) and Ghana ($5.18 billion) followed closely.
  • Egypt ($4.03 billion) and Mauritius ($3.53 billion) also ranked among the top five.
  • The top five countries together made up about two-thirds of Africa’s exports.

In 2024, Africa exported an estimated $41.27 billion in digitally delivered services compared to a global total of $4.78 trillion, leaving the continent with only 0.9 percent of the market.

South Africa and Morocco led the region, each above $6 billion, followed closely by Ghana at $5.2 billion. Egypt and Mauritius also featured strongly. Together, these five countries made up nearly two-thirds of Africa’s exports.

By contrast, Africa’s fourth largest economy, Nigeria, contributed just $1.55 billion, highlighting the uneven distribution of digital trade capacity across the continent.

Source:

World Trade Organization (WTO)

Period:

2023
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Nigeria’s export mix stayed oil-heavy in 2025, with crude oil above 75% in all quarters
  • Crude oil dominated Nigeria’s exports in all quarters of 2025
  • Q1 recorded the highest oil dependency at 81.5%.
  • Non-oil exports peaked in Q2 at 24.2%, representing the strongest diversification point in 2025.
  • The oil share dropped to its lowest in Q2 (75.8%), but still remained dominant.
In 2025, Nigeria imported crude oil for the first time in the past decade, accounting for 11% of its total crude oil trade
Key takeaways:
  • Nigeria recorded its first crude oil imports in a decade in 2025, marking a structural shift in trade dynamics.
  • Imports accounted for 11% of total crude oil trade in 2025.
  • Total crude oil trade grew sharply from ₦7 trillion in 2016 to ₦53.2 trillion in 2025, indicating long-term expansion.
  • Exports remain dominant, contributing ₦47.4 trillion in 2025 despite the emergence of imports.
  • 2024 was the peak year for crude oil trade at ₦55.3 trillion, followed by a slight decline in 2025.
  • The 2020 dip of ₦9.4 trillion highlights vulnerability to global shocks, likely tied to oil price and demand disruptions.
Nigeria exported ₦47tn in crude, yet spent ₦45tn importing finished goods and refined petroleum
  • Crude oil alone accounts for 55.7% of all exports. Remove it and Nigeria runs a ₦26.7tn trade deficit. The entire surplus rests on one commodity.
  • Nigeria imports ₦31.97tn in manufactured goods but exports only ₦2.50tn, a 12-to-1 ratio that reflects near-total dependence on foreign industrial output.
  • Nigeria exports ₦25.3tn in petroleum products yet imports ₦13.3tn of refined petroleum. Africa's top oil producer still can't fully process its own crude.
  • Despite Nigeria's vast farmland, agri-exports (₦5.07tn) barely exceed agri-imports (₦4.76tn). The sector earns almost nothing net.
Malacca and Hormuz handle about 24% and 22% of global oil supply, respectively
  • The Strait of Malacca is the world’s most important oil chokepoint, carrying about 24–25% of global oil supply in recent years.
  • The Strait of Hormuz moves around 20–23% of global oil supply, making it the second-largest energy transit chokepoint.
  • The Cape of Good Hope carries about 9–10% of global oil flows, and its share tends to increase when other chokepoints face disruptions.
  • The Bab el-Mandeb saw a sharp drop in oil flow share from about 9% in 2023 to around 4% in 2024, reflecting security concerns affecting shipping in the Red Sea corridor.
  • Oil transported through the Suez Canal and the SUMED pipeline system dropped significantly after 2023, falling from about 8.6% to below 5%, showing how quickly routes shift during geopolitical tensions.
  • The Strait of Malacca’s share has remained consistently high and stable, indicating its structural importance to Asian energy demand.
  • Alternative routes like the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa are longer but strategically crucial, especially when Middle Eastern chokepoints become unstable.
Nearly 60% of X’s Ad audience across Africa’s top 10 markets is concentrated in Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa
  1. Nigeria ranks first with 7.3 million estimated users — over 2.8 million more than Egypt.
  2. Egypt (4.5 million) and South Africa (3.1 million) follow, forming the top three markets.
  3. The top three countries account for nearly 60% of the total users across the ten listed countries.
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South Africa accounts for 22% of Africa’s 282 data centres
  • South Africa leads with 61 facilities, accounting for 21.6% of the continent’s total
  • Nigeria (25) and Kenya (19) complete the top three countries with major digital infrastructure hubs
  • Many countries operate with fewer than five facilities
  • Eighteen countries have just one data centre each
  • As cloud adoption, fintech, streaming, and AI grow, new regional hubs are likely to emerge beyond today’s leaders.
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