Tobacco use and control in Nigeria and other African countries have received little attention relative to other regions like Asia and Latin America. This is due to the perceived low smoking prevalence in Africa compared to the more immediate need for interventions against infectious diseases. However, the trends are changing quickly. Economic growth rate in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) nearly tripled from an average of 1.7 percent in 80s and 90s to about 4.8 percent in the 2000s and 2010s, with Nigeria growing more than five-fold from 1.2 percent to 6.7 percent within the same period (World Bank, 2018). On a similar trend, albeit of lesser magnitude, is the smoking prevalence in Nigeria which grew from 11.3 percent in 2000 to 17.4 percent in 2015 (World Bank, 2017). A combination of rising incomes, population growth, media-driven social trends, and targeted advertisement by the tobacco industry are the key drivers of the rising prevalence in SSA.
Project Reports
January 22, 2019
A Scoping Study of Nigeria’s Tobacco Market and Policy Space
Tobacco use and control in Nigeria and other African countries have received little attention relative to other regions like Asia and Latin America. This is due to the perceived low smoking prevalence in Africa compared to the more immediate need for interventions against infectious diseases. However, the trends are changing quickly. Economic growth rate in […]
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Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 51)
Recently released data by the National
Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that there was significant increase in Nigerias
total merchandise trade for 2016Q3. Basically, the total merchandise trade
increased (quarter-on-quarter) by 16.29 percent to N4, 722 billion in 2016Q3;owing to 29.1 percent increase in exports and 6.2 percent rise in imports. Oil
exports increased by 31 percent to N1, 943 billion, while non-oil exports
increased by 20.5 percent to N440 billion. However, on the aggregate, Nigeria
recorded yet another trade deficit of N104 billion, indicating continuous
higher imports relative to exports. Overall, though there is improvement in the
performance of non-oil sector, however, this is insufficient to effectively
complement the loss in oil trade sustained since the beginning of oil price
crash. This suggests that diversification into non-oil sector may not be able
to rescue the economy in the short term. However, while the diversification
efforts should be sustained, eliminating hurdles in oil production may be
instrumental to higher exports, especially as oil price increase is gaining
momentum.
Transparency Deficits In The Disclosure Of Oil Sector Information In Nigeria
This brief examines the challenges in the discharge of
statutory transparency roles by strategic regulatory institutions in the oil
sector and also identifies policy interventions to improve access to
information on key oil sector processes and transactions.