Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 24)

Global economic growth remained fairly stable in 2016Q3 with baseline projections for global growth at 3.1 percent and 2.4 percent by International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank respectively. Growth in developed countries was moderate but unevenly distributed: while the U.S and the UK showed improvements, growth in other economies remained tepid. Among emerging countries, India witnessed higher growth while growth in China remained constant but the Chinese Yuan continued to appreciate. Given that India is Nigerias major crude oil importer, improving economic conditions in India may translate into rising demand for Nigerias crude oil. However, the continuous appreciation of the Yuan poses significant inflationary threat in Nigeria given the high level of imports from China. Subdued global demand, weak trade, uncertainties in commodity prices and consequences of the Brexit were the key constraining factors to growth over the period. In addition, growth in Sub-Saharan African countries remained generally slow on the account of low commodity price, political turmoil, and inconsistent government policies.

This report provides a concise and timely analytical overview of key aspects of the Nigerian economy. The report is an attempt to track the developments in the relevant aspects of the economy over a three-month period. It provides valuable insights into potential drivers of the economic trends and outlines expectations for subsequent quarters of the year. The areas of focus are Global Economic Performance, Domestic Economic Performance, External Sector Performance, and Sectoral Performance.