he International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently announced the approval of $3.4 billion emergency support to Nigeria under its Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) facility1. This support fund comes as part of efforts to assist the nation in mitigating potential balance of payment problems as a result of both the decline in oil revenue as well as the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The IMF has approved a total of $8.3 billion to countries in the sub-Saharan region under various financing schemes in order to mitigate the impact of the pandemic2. However, the fund to Nigeria is the single largest disbursement made to any nation within the region and it is expected to provide the country with the much-needed liquidity during this critical period. On the grounds that Nigeria is taking 100% of its quota under the RFI, the government is expected to pay a concession fee totaling about 1.05% with repayment period up to 5 years. Although, this loan is not expected to completely finance the government’s spending plans or avert the imminent recession, it will serve as a cushion for revenue shortage problems.
May 28, 2020
Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 18)
Related
Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 3)
The
Nigeria stock market indices; All Share Index (ASI) and Market Capitalization
declined by 2.4 percent to close at 26537.36 points and N9.12 trillion
respectively at the end of the trade session this week8 The decline
in the indices, which is attributed to the low subscription for stocks in the
market, led to the partnership between Security and Exchange Commission (SEC)
and Debt Management Office (DMO) to salvage the financial system.
Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 34)
Recent NBS data shows a significant decline in
power generated in 2016Q2. Precisely, power generated declined by 31 percent
(quarter on quarter) from a total quarterly average of 92,352 MWH in 2016Q1 to
63,692.39 MWH in 2016Q2. Remarkably, the reoccurrences of pipeline
vandalism in 2016Q2 prompted the shortage of gas for power generation. Thus,
there were about eight recorded system collapses in the quarter which led to
several days of power outages. However, subsequent quarterly declines in power
generation could be averted if efforts to repair vandalized pipelines and adopt
hydro sources are intensified.