Macroeconomic Report & Economic Updates

Nigeria’s aviation sector witnessed substantial improvements in 2018 in both air passenger traffic and cargo movements. Figures from the Federal Airport Authorities of Nigeria show that the number of passengers through Nigerian airports stood at 15.2 million in 2018¹, about 13.4 percent increase from the 13.4 million passengers in 2017². The total cargo movement stood at 245.89 million kilograms compared to 161.80 million kilograms recorded in 2017. With improvements in infrastructure, launch of new aircrafts by air operators, full-capacity schedule flight services, improved regulation, and less inference from the government in 2018³, the sector attracted more customers and ultimately garnered more revenue from the sales of tickets. By implication, these improvements in the industry bolstered the remarkable sectoral annual real growth rate which grew from 1.83 percent in 2017 to 20.7 percent in 2018⁴. Despite the improvements, there is need to create tax incentives that can attract investors that would invest in airport infrastructure upgrade and continuous maintenance to help unlock the full potential of the Nigerian airline industry.

Nigeria’s balance of payment reversed into surplus in the fourth quarter of 2018, after a third-quarter negative period. As reported by the CBN balance of payment estimates showed significant improvements with surplus of $2.80 million in 2018Q4 as against previous quarter’s huge deficit of $4,542.1 million. The current account balance improved from a deficit of $1,544.41 million in Q3 2018 to a surplus of $1,104.57 million in Q4 2018 on account of improvements in goods account - slight increase in export earnings relative to imports. Also, the financial account showed net acquisition of assets of $2,327.91 million in the review period, as opposed to the financial liabilities incurred in the preceding period. To sustain growth in export earnings, there is need to address age-long challenges that inhibit non-oil export trade: particularly dealing with the inefficient and costly transport system as well as broadening the scope of export financing instruments.

By year-end 2018, the country recorded a total trade value of ₦32.3 trillion¹, representing 39.3% increase over the corresponding period in 2017. The volume of total merchandise trade in 2018 is noted to be the highest since 2014, nearly double pre-recession levels. Export component grew by approximately 41%, from ₦13.6 trillion in 2017 to ₦19.1 trillion in 2018. Oil (crude and non-crude) is responsible for the most part of export growth in the review year and accounts for about 94% of total exports. Agriculture and manufacturing sector exports also recorded a boost, rising to ₦302 billion and ₦645.7 billion respectively. Similarly, imports rose by 37.5% to ₦13.2 trillion. With exports exceeding imports, the current account balance of trade improved to ₦5.9 trillion in 2018. To further boost Nigeria’s current account position going forward, supply-side policies to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of domestic industries, and thus exports is crucial.

The total amount of non-performing loans (NPL) of Nigerian banks declined for the year 2018, relative to 2017. At N1.79 trillion, the stock of NPL fell by 24.2 percent from N2.36 trillion in 2017¹. Also, gross loans as of the end of 2018 stood at N15.35 trillion, as against N15.96 trillion as at the end of 2017. The reduction in NPL shows that debtors may have relieved more of their indebtedness in 2018 compared to 2017; this may have been complemented by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria’s (AMCON) resolve to achieve its recovery mandate against erring debtors². AMCON is saddled with the statutory responsibility, among others, of recovering the NPL hitherto disbursed by eligible banks to their customers. The decline in non-performing loans is expected to continue as the overconcentration of banking sector loans to the unpredictable and volatile oil and gas sector has been reduced to a great length.  Monetary authorities should tighten mechanisms to ensure that commercial banks strictly adheres to the macroprudential guidelines that stipulate a 5 percent NPL benchmark.

Nigeria’s economy has shown sustained signs of recovery. Real GDP growth rate rose Year-on-Year by 2.38 percent in 2018Q4, as against 1.81 percent recorded in the preceding quarter – an increase of 0.57 percentage points.¹ Non-oil sector remained the focal point for the economic expansion - growth in the sector’s activities improved to 2.7 percent from 2.3 percent and contributed approximately 93 percent to real GDP. The numbers unveil key high-performing non-oil activities during the quarter, with services manufacturing, and agriculture leading the pack. Going forward, the economy is expected to continue registering positive growth following a more stable political economy. However, inadequate credit among other factors may hinder the non-oil sector from scaling. The CBN may consider revising the banking regulations to include loan quotas for sectors with high growth and revenue-generating potential.