Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics indicates that Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 0.11% in Q4 20201. Further disaggregation shows that the oil sector contributed 5.87% to total real GDP while the non-oil sector contributed 94.13% during the period. Although the growth rate in Q4 2020 is lower than the corresponding quarter of 2019 which was 2.55%, it represents a 3.74% improvement over the previous quarter (Q3 2020). More importantly, it is the first positive quarterly growth since the economy contracted in both the second and third quarters of 2020, thereby ending the recession experienced due to the pandemic. The growth reflects the gradual return of economic activities following the resumption of movements which limited commercial activities in the previous quarters. Considering that economic activities are returning to pre-COVID levels and COVID vaccination is underway, economic expansion is expected in the near term. However, the size of the expansion will depend on the spending choices of the government as it responds to the new and evolving challenges. As such, budgetary allocations to sectors capable of delivering an inclusive recovery such as the agriculture sector should be prioritized.
March 5, 2021
Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 8)
Related
Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 35)
Recent report in the media highlights that Nigerias
GDP has dropped to $296 billion in 2016, in contrast to the $481 billion
recorded in 20151 and Nigeria has lost its position as Africas
largest economy to South Africa. This conclusion was based on the computation
of GDP with current naira-dollar exchange rate. However, while the naira has
significantly lost its official value since the adoption of a flexible exchange
rate, estimating GDP merely with a single exchange rate figure (rather than its
yearly average) cannot be regarded as an appropriate method to conclude on Africas
largest economy.