Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 17)

Recent Data on Nigerias Real GDP growth rate (Year-on-Year) declined by 0.73 percentage points, from 2.84 per cent in 2015Q3 to 2.11 percent in 2015Q4. The slowdown in economic growth was largely driven by the decline in the performance of the oil sector which was occasioned by the slump in crude oil prices and the slight drop in the volume of crude oil produced. Specifically, compared to the 1.05 percent growth recorded in 2015Q3, the oil sector witnessed a negative growth of 8.28 percent in 2015Q4.

Provisional Monetary statistics by the CBN show an increase in currency in circulation a portion of overall money supply. Specifically, currency in circulation rose (Month-on-Month) by 14.2 percent to N2.2 million in December 2016  the highest Month-on-Month increase recorded for the year 2016. The rise in currency- outside-bank may be attributed to the growing demand for cash balances for spending activities during the festive period. This development would largely compound the liquidity problem associated with TSA implementation and ongoing CBN monetary tightening as deposit money banks might be cash-strapped. Going forward, efforts should be geared towards intensifying initiatives that promote a cashless economy that encourages cashless transactions.

Nigerias inflation rate remained above CBNs bandwidth of 6-9 per cent. Specifically, the inflation rate increased slightly from 9.55 percent in December 2015 to 9.62 percent in January 20165. The Core sub-index remains the main driver of inflation in Nigeria. The higher prices of items in the Core sub-index such as clothing and foot wears are reflective of higher domestic production costs as a result of the decline in the value of the naira relative to the dollar. However, in the period, the price increase was moderated by the stable price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). Going forward, without any sustainable policy measure to prevent the further depreciation of the naira, inflation may exceed the current single digit inflation rate in the near term.