This brief examines the potential impact of a minimum wage increase in Nigeria, taking into account the current economic state and the factors driving inflation. It also provides a minimum wage recommendation to guide the government and labor unions in reaching a realistic minimum wage.

There is a consensus among policymakers in Africa that high unemployment, especially among youth, is a major impediment to inclusive growth. A recent Afrobarometer survey (Round 9) underscores this concern, revealing that 40 percent of African youth identify unemployment as the primary issue that governments should address. In response, regional and national policies, such as the Job for Youth in Africa program (2016-2025), have been designed to tackle the unemployment problem. However, labor statistics on the continent indicate a more complex situation, where the quality of jobs is a greater concern than their quantity. Quality or decent jobs refers to employment that is "fair, dignified, stable, and secure", as opposed to vulnerable employment. Current estimates place the unemployment rate on the continent at 11.6%, while vulnerable employment reaches as high as 80% in several countries.

This brief was written by Adedeji Adenira PhD , Chukwuma Nwofor and Halimat Abdulrazaq

Data governance has emerged as a central tenet for countries, not only to realise the benefits of digital revolution but also to mitigate the growing risks and threats that emanate from the digital space. Over the last decade, the number of African countries with at least a form of data protection/regulation policy has increased from 12 in 2012 to 36 in 2024. However, the national approach to data governance has its limits, particularly in African countries with low digital development and a high dominance of global digital platform firms.

Tobacco smoking is a significant risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as chronic respiratory disorders, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease and the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide. Current estimates indicate that cigarettes alone are responsible for 8.7 million deaths annually, and 7.7 million of these fatalities are attributable to smoking, whereas 1.3 million are the consequence of secondhand smoke exposure among nonsmokers. Studies also reveal that many individuals begin smoking before the age of 18 as a result of  the tobacco industry frequently targeting youth in low-income countries with its marketing efforts (WHO report).  

CSEA, in its capacity as a sustainability partner of the Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI 2.0) established by Development Gateway, has compiled a factsheet commemorating World No Tobacco Day 2024. This document highlights facts about tobacco prevalence amongst children and the tobacco industry's interference in countries —Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and Zambia

The unmanageable increase in debt over the last few years and the bad effects of climate change on Nigeria's economy for more than a decade have brought about the need for climate and development debt swaps. In this episode, we dig into the facts in one of our publications with Africa Growth Initiative titled "Debt for Climate and Development Swaps in Nigeria".

https://youtu.be/VHg1xl6eyGo