Macroeconomic Report & Economic Updates

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.

The Nigerian economy raked in more revenue for the four quarters of 2018 fiscal year than in 2017. In the recently released economic report, the CBN reported that federally collected revenue increased by 28.4 percent to N9.44 trillion in 2018¹ – from N7.35 trillion in 2017². Both oil and non-oil components of federally collected revenue rose in the review year, attaining one-year peaks in 2018Q4 (N1.47 trillion) and 2018Q3(N1.14 trillion) respectively. The annual increase was most prominent in oil revenue sources, which grew significantly by 35 percent at the backdrop of 2018 improved oil price and domestic production, and accounted for N5.55 trillion of the total collected revenue. However, after statutory deductions and transfers, the federal government retained N3.96 trillion and a closer review shows that the FG expenditure pattern - at N7.36 trillion - resulted in a fiscal deficit of N3.4 trillion for the whole year 2018. Boosting non-oil sector trade and export, through infrastructure development and credit support, is critical to boosting overall government revenues to levels that match expenditure.

States’ Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) declined in the third quarter 2018, replicating the same downward trend as seen in the previous quarter. IGR dropped to N264.38 billion in 2018Q3, compared to N279.78 billion generated in the preceding quarter – down by 5.5 percent¹. The recently released IGR report by the NBS also shows that 20 states generated less revenue during the quarter (including the FCT), and only 17 states recorded growth in IGR. Reductions in Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) Tax, Direct Assessment, Road Taxes and revenues from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) prompted the overall decline. In order to expand the tax base thereby improving tax revenues, a special focus should be given to harnessing the informal sector into the tax net.

The monetary policy committee provided policy parameters at the first meeting for the 2019 fiscal year, held on 21st and 22nd January, 20191. As presumed, all parameters were left unchanged at their current levels: MPR at 14 percent, CRR at 22.5 percent, liquidity ratio at 30 percent, and asymmetric corridor of +200/-500 basis points around the MPR. This is the 14th consecutive time the MPC will retain all parameters, and the apex bank is justifying its stance by insisting that the economy has remained on a noteworthy track based on prevailing positive macroeconomic performances2. The committee’s optimistic outlook is likely hinged on, among other laudable achievements, the acclaimed return of foreign investors’ confidence and convergence of the foreign exchange market – the CBN has relentlessly upheld the value of the Naira despite perceptions of election risks on exchange rates. In the coming months, changes in monetary policy parameters will, however, depend on the macroeconomic performance after the elections as well as the objective to hit the CBN’s inflation target of 6 to 9 percent.