The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has halted quasi-fiscal measures totalling over 10 trillion naira. The finance was issued by the CBN previously as development finance interventions. The cessation of quasi-fiscal measures by the CBN emerges as a response to empirical findings indicating that these measures to assist Micro,Small, And Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have substantially increased the money supply, consequently contributing to the current inflation rates. Also, the size of the quasi-fiscal functions makes it easy for the CBN to lose sight of its core functions. This is largely because the independence of the CBN is weak and there is strong political pressure to make economic growth its primary function.
March 7, 2024
Nigeria Economic Update(Issue 7)
Related
Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 17)
Activities
in the manufacturing sector remained at levels recorded in 2016Q3.
Specifically, manufacturing capacity utilization (a measure of potential
manufacturing output that is actually realized) remained at 48.46 percent in
2016Q4 below average. During the quarter, structural bottlenecks
such as epileptic power supply (average of 2, 548 Megawatts) in
addition to forex constraints, hampered manufacturing activities. As such, high
cost of raw materials and cost of production subdued activities in the short
term. Recent efforts by the monetary authority to increase forex access to the
manufacturing sector as well as improvement in gas supply and electricity
generation would help minimize production costs and enhance production process.