A researched, sourced list of specific problems across Africa, not vague platitudes. Pick one, go deep, and build something that actually matters.
7 problems
26% of Nigerians remain formally financially excluded as of 2023, though inclusion rose from 56% to 64% since 2020 (EFInA Access to Finance Survey, 2023). Exclusion is worst in the Northeast (38%) and Northwest (47%); low or irregular income is now the top barrier, cited by 49% of the excluded, up from 31% in 2020.
Only about 4% of Nigerian MSMEs have access to credit, despite MSMEs making up roughly 84–88% of the national workforce (NBS/PwC MSME surveys, exact figure contested between sources).
Post-harvest losses in Nigeria range from 15% to over 40% depending on crop (NAERLS/UNIZIK study, 2022–2024), with yam losses in Benue State around 40% and overall annual monetary losses estimated at ₦3.5–5 trillion (ActionAid/OTACCWA). SWOFON, a farmer advocacy group, says this wipes out roughly half of smallholder income.
National doctor-to-patient ratios are disputed (estimates range from 1:2,753 to 1:10,000 depending on source), but rural-specific reporting is clearer: some southern states have one doctor per 30,000 patients, and northern states as bad as 1:45,000 (NMA president, cited in news reports). Patients in some rural areas travel 30+ km to reach care.
UNICEF's 2024 figure puts out-of-school children at 18.3 million nationally (10.2M primary-age, 8.1M secondary-age). One in four Nigerian children is out of school per UNICEF's 2024 MICS-based statement. Three northern states (Kano, Katsina, Jigawa) hold 16% of the primary-age total alone.
Nigeria ranks 88th of ~139 countries on the World Bank's 2023 Logistics Performance Index (behind South Africa at 19th, Egypt at 57th). A study in Ogun State found parcels routinely moved through informal transport operators without driver or agent verification, straining a system that handles ~120 million e-commerce orders yearly with no verified failed-delivery-rate data available.
National electricity access is 61.2% (World Bank WDI, 2023), leaving Nigeria with the highest number of people without grid access of any country (~85–86 million). The national grid collapsed at least 12 times in 2024 alone, and the World Bank estimates unreliable power costs Nigeria ~2% of GDP.
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Each problem here is grounded in a cited, publicly available source as of research time. Figures change and sources sometimes disagree, verify before quoting these numbers elsewhere. This list is a starting point for thinking, not a complete picture of any sector.