There are more English speakers in Nigeria than in the UK
Mistakes Germans make when speaking English (Page 7)

What else do you or don't you know about the western part of Africa?

The Ghanaians and Nigerians are doing very well in the World Cup:

Ghana played Germany over the weekend - with brothers in rival teams:

It's a sibling rivalry as Germany Jerome Boateng marks his brother, Ghana's Kevin-Prince, during World Cup clash

Boateng brothers Jerome and Kevin-Prince went head-to-head for the second time at a World Cup as Germany took on Ghana on Saturday night.

Born in Berlin to the same Ghanaian father, Bayern Munich defender Jerome chose to represent Germany at international level, while Schalke midfielder Kevin-Prince wears the colours of Ghana.

Close contact: Ghana's Kevin-Prince Boateng, right, challenges Germany's Jerome Boateng

It's a sibling rivalry as Germany's Jerome Boateng marks his brother, Ghana's Kevin-Prince, during World Cup clash | Mail Online

Ghanaian football has been in the football news again - but for not very positive reasons...
Watch the video - filmed 'undercover'...

Ghana FA president Kwesi Nyantakyi denies match-fix claim:

The president of the Ghana Football Association has denied agreeing for the national team to play in matches that others were preparing to fix.

BBC Sport - Ghana FA president Kwesi Nyantakyi denies match-fix claim

In a more positive light, what about the country's landscapes:
Eco - Tourism, Adventure - Ghana Tourism Homepage

The BBC provides a good overview of the country:

Ghana profile

Ghana was the first place in sub-Saharan Africa where Europeans arrived to trade - first in gold, later in slaves.

It was also the first black African nation in the region to achieve independence from a colonial power, in this instance Britain.

Despite being rich in mineral resources, and endowed with a good education system and efficient civil service, Ghana fell victim to corruption and mismanagement soon after independence in 1957.

In 1966 its first president and pan-African hero, Kwame Nkrumah, was deposed in a coup, heralding years of mostly-military rule. In 1981 Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings staged his second coup. The country began to move towards economic stability and democracy.

Elmina Castle, an important centre of the slave trade

In April 1992 a constitution allowing for a multi-party system was approved in a referendum, ushering in a period of democracy.

A well-administered country by regional standards, Ghana is often seen as a model for political and economic reform in Africa.

Cocoa exports are an essential part of the economy; Ghana is the world's second-largest producer.

At a glance

Politics: Ghana is one of the more stable nations in the region, with a good record of power changing hands peacefully
Economy: Ghana is the world's second largest cocoa producer behind Ivory Coast, and Africa's biggest gold miner after South Africa. It is one of the continent's fastest growing economies, and newest oil producer

Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

The discovery of major offshore oil reserves was announced in June 2007, encouraging expectations of a major economic boost.

Production officially began at the end of 2010, but some analysts expressed concern over the country's ability to manage its new industry, as laws governing the oil sector had not yet been passed.

The Ghanaian economy proved to be relatively resilient because to the world economic shock of 2008-9, mainly because of the high prices of cocoa and gold. It has continued to post some of Africa's highest annual GDP growth rates.

Ghana has a high-profile peacekeeping role; troops have been deployed in Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone and DR Congo.

Although Ghana has largely escaped the civil strife that has plagued other West African countries, in 1994-95 land disputes in the north erupted into ethnic violence, resulting in the deaths of 1,000 people and the displacement of a further 150,000.

Ghana has generally managed to avoid civil strife

BBC News - Ghana country profile - Overview

Nigeria seems to have more 'problems':
BBC News - Boko Haram crisis: Dozens killed in villages near Chibok
Nigeria bank governor alleges oil subsidy racket - FT.com

But its media is a very dynamic country with a big future:

Africa debate: Is Nigeria ready to lead the continent?

COMMENTS (91)

A billboard of the annual Felabration musical festival at the New Afrika Shrine in Lagos (19 July 2012)

Nigeria recently overtook South Africa to become Africa's biggest economy. But the country faces myriad problems - including a brutal Islamist-led insurgency, high levels of poverty, and widespread corruption. Can it now become the continent's leader? BBC Africa canvassed the views of both Nigerians and other Africans.

Simi Fajemirokun, Nigerian

A Nigerian student smiles as she attends independence day celebrations in Lagos on 1 October 2013

Nigeria is already leading Africa by the sheer size of its population, its emergence as the largest economy on the continent and its cultural prowess via its music and film industry across the globe.

History provides further evidence of this in Nigeria's peacekeeping role in West Africa, which brought stability to the region, quelling the civil wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

So how well is Nigeria fulfilling its leadership role? At present, Nigeria's leaders lack a sense of awareness and purpose and this has led to confused policies and blunders such as the kidnapping of the Chibok girls, the passing of an anti-gay law and too many others to mention.

Nigeria in numbers

Population

167m

$509.9bn (£307.6bn) GDP in 2013
68 mobile phones per 100 people
52 years life expectancy
57% adult literacy rate

Source: UN

AFP

This poor leadership also overshadows the amazing things happening behind the scenes, but as the old gives way to the new, a better Nigeria is being unveiled.

From technology to fashion to music, Nigeria's next generation have revealed the open secret - that Nigeria was destined to lead Africa.

Nigeria's Afrobeats stars

Nigeria facts and figures

Inside Nigeria's secret gay club

Simi Fajemirokun is a management consultant in Abuja