The manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) declined in January to 59.2, indicating a 2.63% fall from the month of December1. The slowdown in sectoral expansion was driven by a decline in the non-metallic mineral products, printing and related support activities. Similarly, slower growth was also observed in the non-manufacturing PMI which fell to 59.6, a 5% decline from the preceding month. In the same vein, the Confidence Index (CI) in the month of January which indicates the respondent’s level of optimism on the overall macroeconomy tapered at 28.3 index points. However, the outlook for February is more optimistic at 61.4 index points and is driven mainly by prospects in the service and industrial sectors2. Going forward, we expect that the drop in the PMI will be reversed, at least minimally, as banks continue to lend to the real sector. However, the extent to which the increment will be sustained will depend on inflation levels as well as job creation growth rate in the short to medium-term.
February 21, 2020
Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 5)
Related
Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 44)
Latest
Doing Business report by the World Bank ranks Nigeria as one of the top 10 economies
that showed notable improvements in doing business in 2016/2017. Precisely, the
report which presents quantitative indicators on business regulation compared
across 190 economies and ranked Nigeria 145th - up by 24 positions from
the previous report ranking, to reach its highest rank since 2013. This may not
be unexpected, given that it is consequent upon various business environment
reforms in 2016. Particularly, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment
Council (PEBEC) set up in 2016 enacted 31 reforms to improve
business(such as improving credit to small and medium-size
businesses) all of were enacted into law in May 2017.