What it cost to send $200 to seven African destinations
In the World Bank’s 2023 destination averages, sending $200 cost 3.30% to Egypt and 5.76% to Rwanda. Those rates equate to about $6.60 and $11.52 on a $200 transfer.
Pan-African
How Africa’s free trade agreement moved from signature to trade
The African Union adopted the AfCFTA agreement in March 2018. It entered into force in May 2019, trading began under its provisions in January 2021, and a guided trade pilot followed in 2022.
Sources checked
- 2018-03-21Agreement adopted
Treaty text adopted Source 1
- 2019-05-30Entered into force
The legal agreement took effect Source 1
- 2021-01-01Start of trading
Trade started under the agreement Source 2
- 2022-10-08Guided Trade Initiative
Secretariat launched the pilot in Accra Source 3
Adoption, legal force, start of trade and a pilot represent separate milestones.
Latest data stories
How intellectual property payments and receipts compare across African economies
South Africa recorded USD 1.66 billion in cross-border intellectual property payments and USD 218.09 million in receipts in 2024. Kenya and Rwanda were closer to balance. The IMF accounts track payments for qualifying rights to use, reproduce or distribute intellectual property.
Where seven African current accounts stood relative to GDP
Nigeria moved from a current account deficit of 2.05% of GDP in 2019 to a surplus of 7.54% in 2024. Rwanda’s deficit reached 11.96% in 2024. The data show how trade and income flows add up relative to the size of each economy.
Which African postal networks had the most direct international partners?
Egypt recorded the broadest direct postal reach for business-to-business parcels among seven African economies in 2024. South Africa recorded the second-highest reach for business-to-consumer postal items and gained on Egypt from 2023.
How long tracked export containers stayed at ports in 2022
In a World Bank tracking sample from May to October 2022, the median export container spent 3.0 days at port in Tunisia, 5.3 days in Kenya and South Africa, and 11.0 days in Nigeria.
Foreign direct investment relative to GDP in seven African economies
Rwanda’s net foreign direct investment inflows rose from 3.79% of GDP in 2024 to 5.91% in 2025. Egypt fell from 11.97% to 4.23%, while South Africa’s 2025 value was negative.
Where fuel took the largest share of merchandise imports
Fuel made up 39.56% of Nigeria’s merchandise imports in 2022, the highest share among seven African economies tracked here. Kenya followed at 26.45%. Compare the 2022 trade basket with the same countries in 2019 and inspect later national figures where available.
How the share of goods exports going to high-income markets changed
In 2023, high-income economies accounted for 78.15% of Morocco’s merchandise exports and 39.61% of Kenya’s. Nigeria’s share rose from 50.28% in 2022 to 64.15% in 2023.
Where information and communications services earn export revenue in Africa
Kenya had the highest share of ICT services in total service exports among seven African economies in 2024. Morocco recorded the largest value of ICT service exports in the group, at about USD 2.65 billion. The same trade category produces different rankings depending on the measure.
How migrant populations changed in seven African countries
In 2024, people counted as international migrants made up 4.1% of South Africa’s population and 3.6% of Rwanda’s. Kenya was at 1.8%, above its 1990 estimate of 1.3% and below its 2015 estimate of 2.4%.
Who accounted for the largest shares of trade within Africa in 2025?
Afreximbank estimates trade in goods within Africa reached US$213.8 billion in 2025. South Africa accounted for 19.24% of the total, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo at 6.74% and Côte d’Ivoire at 4.83%.
Which African economies gained liner shipping connectivity by Q3 2026?
Egypt and Morocco were less than two index points apart in the third quarter of 2026 after starting a year earlier almost 30 points apart. Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana had the next highest scores among the 12 African economies tracked here. The table follows their access to scheduled container shipping from the first quarter of 2021.
How net development assistance compared with African national incomes
Net official development assistance received was equivalent to 9.55% of gross national income in Rwanda, 3.99% in Ethiopia and 2.46% in Kenya in 2023. Four other countries in the comparison were below 1%.
How net energy imports compare with domestic energy use
Morocco’s net energy imports were equivalent to 93.89% of domestic energy use in 2024, while Nigeria remained a net exporter. Egypt crossed into net imports in 2021 in the same series and reached 26.37% of energy use in 2024.
How Africa’s cross-border payment system moved from pilot to expansion
The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System started with a West African pilot and launched commercially in 2022. Its operator reported a 28-country network reach in July 2026 after the Bank of Central African States joined.
How portfolio equity flows shifted in six African economies
Nigeria recorded USD 1.92 billion in net portfolio equity inflows in 2024. South Africa’s recorded balance was negative USD 3.93 billion. This balance-of-payments series tracks a class of cross-border equity investment that sits outside direct investment.
How refugee and asylum populations changed in seven African countries
UNHCR recorded just over one million refugees in Ethiopia at the end of 2025 and 617,125 in Kenya. Egypt recorded 220,033 refugees and 878,268 asylum seekers, two separate categories.
How airline passenger traffic recovered across seven African countries
By 2023, carriers registered in Egypt and Ethiopia had moved above their 2019 passenger totals. Those registered in South Africa and Kenya remained below. The ICAO series assigns traffic to the airline’s country of registration.
How many months of imports did reserve assets cover?
Nigeria’s reserve assets were equivalent to 7.21 months of imports in 2024, compared with 5.67 in South Africa and 1.78 in Ethiopia. The indicator compares reserves at the reporting date with the value of imports during the year.
How trade-weighted applied tariffs changed in seven African economies
The published 2022 trade-weighted rates were 11.70% in Kenya, 11.11% in Rwanda, 9.34% in Nigeria and 4.66% in South Africa. The seven-country series has different end years.
How transport changed the mix of Africa’s service imports
Transport represented 58.00% of Ethiopia’s service imports in 2024 and 46.89% of Rwanda’s. Kenya’s share was 32.69%. The indicator includes freight and passenger services.
Which countries led the 2025 Africa Visa Openness Index?
The Gambia and Rwanda tied at 1.000 in the 2025 Africa Visa Openness Index. Kenya was third at 0.962. Across the continent, the report counted visa-free access in 814 country-to-country travel scenarios.
When African members accepted the WTO border procedures agreement
Mauritius accepted the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement protocol on 5 March 2015. Chad and Rwanda accepted it on 22 February 2017, the day it entered into force. The WTO database records later acceptances through DR Congo on 11 July 2025.
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