Publications
November 3, 2017
Infrastructure Financing In Nigeria:
Similar to most sub-Saharan
African (SSA) countries, Nigeria has a huge infrastructure deficit which
considerably limits efforts towards achieving inclusive growth, sustainable
development, and poverty reduction. With infrastructure stock estimated at
20-25 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Nigerias infrastructure stock
is still significantly lower than the recommended international benchmark of 70
per cent of GDP. The 2014 National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NIMP)
estimates that a total of US$ 3 trillion of investments, or US$100 billion
annually, is required over the next 30 years to bridge Nigerias infrastructure
gap. In particular, the Plan estimates that Nigeria will have to spend an
annual average of US$ 33 billion infrastructure investments for the period 2014
-2018. This means that Nigeria will have to more than double its spending on infrastructure
from the current 2-3 per cent of GDP to around 7 per cent to make appreciable
progress in infrastructure development over the next three decades.
Related
Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 24)
The external reserves decreased week-on-week marginally by 0.2 percent from June 9, 2017 to June 16, 2017. The reserve declined from $30.27 billion to $30.21 billion. Given that crude oil revenue constitutes the most part of the reserve, the decline may be reflective of the week-on-week drop in global crude oil price (Crude oil price fell by approximately 2 percent to $47.377 per barrel as at June 16 2017). The ongoing forex intervention by the monetary authority also poses a challenge to foreign reserve conservation. Given the unimpressive performance of global oil prices in recent time, there is need to explore other areas with great potentials to generate foreign exchange earnings. Diversification of forex earnings remains the key to insulating foreign reserve against fluctuations in global commodity prices. The country can tap into solid minerals sector as alternative source of foreign exchange. Huge investment together with investor-friendly policies in solid minerals would make the sector attractive to investors.