Macroeconomic Report & Economic Updates

According to a report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the cost of main petroleum products like kerosene, diesel, and Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) all increased in general in January 2023. In particular, the research demonstrated that the cost of PMS increased by 24.70% month-on-month rising from N206.19 in December 2022 to N257.12 in January 2023. 

According to direct communication data in February 2023 from the oil market report produced by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in January 2023, Nigeria’s crude oil production increased to 1.258 million barrels per day (bpd) from a total oil production figure of 1.235 million bpd in December 2022. This represents an increase of 23,000 bpd in January 2023 when compared with the preceding month, December 2022.

There was a general increase in transport fares across different modes of transportation in the country in December 2022. The report on transport fares released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in January 2023 revealed that the average fare paid by passengers for bus journey within the city per drop increased from N637.10 in November 2022 to N644.66 in December 2022, representing a 1.19% increase on a month-on-month basis.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), has in its January World Economic Outlook improved its projection for Nigeria’s 2023 economic growth rate to 3.2 per cent, representing 0.2 percentage points increase from the 3.0 per cent earlier projected in its October 2022 World Economic Outlook^. The IMF based its reviewed growth on improved security measures in the oil sector in the country.

On Thursday, January 26th, 2023, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) officially unveiled its national domestic card scheme in a session co-hosted by the Nigerian Inter-Bank Settlement System (NBSS). The domestic card scheme, which is named AfriGo, is part of the apex bank’s strategies towards advancing cashless payments and deepening financial inclusion in the country.