4 facts that make South Africa the true giant of Africa 

The title giant of Africa has for many years been attributed to Nigeria, the most populous and generally the richest African country in recent times. But the facts have changed between South Africa and Nigeria about who the true giant of Africa is.

Nigeria in the last decade, has  witnessed tremendous downturn in what has made it the giant of Africa,  the country has been poorly managed by its political leaders, turning it into a shadow of its former self.

A new force has always followed suit and, for many years, has been regarded as the underdog of development in Africa. South Africa is now ready to finally leave the underdog tag and is already taking Africa by storm.

These four data-driven facts show it is now the true giant of Africa, surpassing Nigeria, and it may remain that way for many years to come unless Nigeria does something quickly and positively.

Economy

According to Statista 2024 ranking, South Africa has the largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Africa, edging Nigeria in the first thing that matters.

South Africa’s GDP amounted to just over 373 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, the highest in Africa. Egypt followed, with a GDP worth around 347.6 billion U.S. dollars and ranked as the second-highest on the continent. Algeria ranked third, with about 266.8 billion U.S. dollars.

Nigeria comes a distant fourth in the ranking, with a GDP of 252.74 billion U.S. dollars. These African economies are among some of the fastest-growing economies worldwide, yet Nigeria is currently regressing in the scheme of things, the currency rate is a testament to this troubling issue.

Education

South Africa emerged as a front-runner in the latest Student Satisfaction report, outperforming both Nigeria and Egypt in several areas of education.

Going by the information from the 2023 Global Student Satisfaction Awards (GSSA) report provides insights into the experiences of students from over 200 nationalities at 3,661 institutions, including South Africa, Nigeria, and Egypt.

According to the report, South Africa achieved an impressive overall student satisfaction score of 3.98, a remarkable feat that outpaces the global average of 4.21.

Furthermore, South African institutions also demonstrated excellence in enriching student life, scoring above the global average of 4.33. This achievement firmly places South Africa in the vanguard of education in Africa.

Nigeria received a lower overall satisfaction score of 3.77, falling short of the global average due to voiced concerns about the frequent and extended lecturer strikes, alongside the quality of teaching and available facilities. Those in South Africa who responded cited crime as their main challenge. These concerns contributed to a low score of 3.45 for Nigeria in quality of student life against a global average of 4.33.

During the assessment, one Nigerian student said, “There are never-ending strikes, outdated curricula, and a persistent lack of adequate teaching facilities. Although my university is ranked as one of the best institutions of higher learning in the country, the teaching methods employed by the lecturers still have a long way to go,” a true summary of what the education system has become, but not a true reflection of the brilliance of Nigeria students.

Health

If history is to go by, Nigeria should edge this very important aspect of existence. There was once a time when foreigners from around the world visited Nigeria for quality health care; fast forward to 2024, and all these have fallen apart.

According to worlddata.info, a 2024 comparison between the two African countries showed South Africa has gone beyond the reach of Nigeria’s grasp in quality health care.

                                                                   Nigeria         South Africa

Hospital beds per 1000 inh.:     0.50.               2.80

Physicians per 1000 Inh.:           0.40               0.81

Malaria cases:                           292.217 ‰      0.049 ‰

Rabies deaths:                           0.000 ‰.          0.000 ‰

This analysis, when comparing the two countries’ population differences, is worrying that Nigeria is grappling with basic health necessities; in 2024, the country allocated N1.48tn, which is 5.6% of the country’s budget, falling short of the 15% allocation agreed upon in the Abuja declaration.

Furthermore, the life expectancy between the two countries shows that Nigeria has a power rate when compared. Data shows that the life expectancy rate for males stands at 53 years in Nigeria and 59 years in South Africa, while for females, it stands at 54 years and 64 years, respectively.

Energy/ Electricity balance

The majority of South Africa’s energy is currently produced by coal, with 84.4 per cent of the country’s population having access to electricity overall—75.3 per cent in rural areas and 88.8 per cent in urban areas. The nation aims to diversify its energy sources and is increasing research and development in renewable energy to lessen its dependency on coal and increase access.

Over 50% of Nigerians do not have access to stable electricity according to Statista 2024, thanks to the frequent grid collapse in the country. Meaning it fell short of what a country of Nigeria should be generating, as it continues to struggle with 5000mw which has been its maximum since inception.

Nigeria is a blessed country, having numerous resources and immense wealth. However, many of these attributes are not reflected in the daily lives of the country’s citizens.

The 2022 NBS posited that 63% of the population suffers from multidimensional poverty, while the World Bank also claims that the poverty rate in the country has grown by 43% in 2023.

The comparisons above might have tilted towards the South African side, Nigeria remains one of the biggest and wealthiest countries in the region. The challenge facing most of African countries is leadership,  once this is right, all other things will fall into place.

God bless Nigeria…