Economy

IMF Raises Concerns Over Weakness in Nigerian Banks

Published

7 years ago

October 11, 2017

IMF Raises Concerns Over Weakness in Nigerian Banks

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday expressed concerns over weaknesses in Nigerian banks and said that the situation might weigh on economic growth in the medium term.

The IMF stated this in its World Economic Outlook report, which was released at its headquarters in Washington DC, United States.

In the report, the IMF maintained that the Nigerian economy would grow by 0.8 per cent this year, after emerging from recession.

The Economic Counsellor and Director of Research, IMF, Maurice Obstfeld, spoke at a press briefing at the Fund’s headquarters shortly after the release of the report.

Obstfeld said policy implementation and market segmentation in a foreign exchange market that remained dependent on the Central Bank of Nigeria’s interventions would have some impact on the country in the future.

He stated, “Nigeria is expected to emerge from the 2016 recession caused by low oil prices and the disruption of oil production. Growth in 2017 is projected at 0.8 per cent, owing to recovering oil production and ongoing strength in the agricultural sector.

“However, concerns about policy implementation, market segmentation in a foreign exchange market that remains dependent on central bank interventions (despite initial steps to liberalise the foreign exchange market), and banking system fragilities are expected to weigh on activity in the medium term.”

The IMF director said growth prospects across emerging market and developing economies remained heterogeneous, with emerging Asian countries generally growing at a fast pace.

He, however, stated that many countries in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East would struggle with subpar performance.

According to him, economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa is projected to reach 2.6 per cent in 2017 and 3.4 per cent in 2018, with sizeable differences across countries.

“Downside risks have risen because of idiosyncratic factors in the region’s largest economies and delays in implementing policy adjustments. Beyond the near term, growth is expected to rise gradually, but barely above population growth, as large consolidation needs to weigh on public spending,” Obstfeld added.

According to the WEO report, the world growth is projected to increase from 3.2 per cent in 2016 to 3.6 per cent this year and 3.7 per cent in 2018, an upward revision of 0.1 percentage point for both 2017 and 2018 relative to April.

Economic activity is projected to pick up speed in all country groups except for the Middle East, and forecasts of the strength of the outlook by region have changed only modestly.

Growth is forecast to increase strongly in emerging market and developing economies, from an upwardly revised 4.3 per cent in 2016 to 4.6 per cent in 2017 and 4.9 per cent in 2018, a 0.1 percentage point increase for 2017 and 2018 relative to the April forecast.

The report read in part, “The upward revisions to the growth forecast primarily reflect stronger projected activity in China and in emerging Europe for 2017 and 2018.

“As discussed earlier, although commodity importers account for the lion’s share of growth in emerging market and developing economies, the projected increase in growth from 2016 is driven primarily by stronger projected growth for commodity exporters, most notably Brazil and Russia that experienced severe macroeconomic strains during 2015-16.”

The IMF staff team led by Amine Mati had visited Nigeria from July 20 to 31, 2017 to discuss recent economic and financial developments, as well as update macroeconomic projections.

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Samed Olukoya

Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.

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Economy

World Bank VP Lauds CBN Governor Cardoso’s Inflation-Fighting Policies

Published

2 days ago

October 16, 2024

Bassey Marshall

The Senior Vice President of the World Bank, Indermit Gill, has praised the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Yemi Cardoso, over his approach to managing inflation in the country.

Gill made this known during his address at the 30th Nigerian Economic Summit organized by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group in Abuja, on Monday.

The World Bank VP decried the high cost of petrol occasioned by the subsidy removal of President Tinubu’s government and the untold hardship it has imposed on Nigerians.

However, he hailed the interest rate increase by the central bank which according to him will boost confidence in the Naira and anchor inflationary expectations.

Gill emphasized that Governor Cardoso through his policies has been steering Nigeria in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Gill noted that Nigeria is just in the beginning stage of reaping the benefits of these policies.

According to him, the country will need to sustain the momentum for a period of ten to seventeen years, before achieving the desired outcome.

He revealed that countries like India, Poland, Korea, and Norway have benefitted from the approach.

He said, “Implementing such a far-reaching reform is impossible without a solid political commitment from the top. The price of PMS has quadrupled since the subsidy cut, imposing terrible hardship across the breadth of Nigeria’s society.

“The Central Bank has had to hike its policy by a huge 850 basis point, almost 9 percentage points in the last month to boost confidence in the naira and anchor inflationary expectations.

“The Central Bank financing of fiscal deficit has finally ended, and Governor Cardoso has been putting Nigeria or helping to put Nigeria on the right course.”

“But this is only the beginning, Nigeria will need to stay the course for at least 10 to 17 years to transform its economy. If it does that, it will transform its economy.

“And it will become an engine of growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. And he will help to transform Sub-Saharan Africa. It’s very difficult to do these things, but the rewards are massive.

“This is the lesson from the last forty years as well as the experience of countries such as India, Poland, Korea and Norway,” Gill said.

Investors King reported that on September 24, 2024, the apex bank announced another increase in its Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) to 27.25% from 26.75 percent.

The decision was made during the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting chaired by CBN Governor, Yemi Cardoso.

Economy

Sanwo-Olu Unveils Lagos Red Line Rail For Commercial Operations

Published

2 days ago

October 16, 2024

Ugwoke Ogbodo

The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has officially unveiled the LMRT Red Line for commercial operations.

The governor said the Red Line is the second rail system to become operational in less than two years in the state.

The 27-kilometre Red Line has eight stations at Oyingbo, Yaba, Mushin, Oshodi, Ikeja, Agege, Iju, and Agbado.

The train service is projected to transport about 500,000 Lagosians daily as the schedule is increased, providing a viable means of commuting.

In a post on his verified social media handles on Tuesday, Sanwo-Olu warned against vandalisation of the project, saying his government wouldn’t tolerate the destruction of public property.

Sanwo-Olu wrote, “Dear Lagosians, today marks the launch of commercial operations of the LMRT Red Line, commencing passenger services from Agbado to Oyingbo.

“We’re on a mission to keep Lagos moving, and the Red Line is a key part of our vision to create a seamlessly connected city. It is also our second rail system to become operational in less than two years.

“Spanning 27, the Red Line has eight stations at Oyingbo, Yaba, Mushin, Oshodi, Ikeja, Agege, Iju, and Agbado. The train service is projected to transport about 500,000 Lagosians daily as we ramp up the schedule and provide a viable means of commuting.”

He added that daily passenger services will depart from Agbado at 6:00 AM, with the second train leaving Iju Station at 7:30 AM.

“Ensure you have your Cowry Card ready to board,” he noted.

He urged residents to treat the project with the respect it deserves, stressing that “vandalism or disruptions will not be tolerated.”

He said, “Together, we can ensure that our trains remain a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.”

Economy

Nationwide Blackout as National Grid Partially Collapses, Akwa Ibom Power Supply Remains Unaffected

Published

2 days ago

October 15, 2024

Yetunde Olugbenga

A partial collapse of the national grid has been reported by electricity distribution companies, resulting in a blackout in most parts of the country.

However, the Akwa Ibom Generating Station was “islanded,” allowing it to continue supplying electricity to neighboring cities.

The spokesperson for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Ndidi Mbah, disclosed this during a chat on Monday evening.

Mbah explained that the Akwa Ibom Generating Station was “islanded” to enable continuous power supply through the Eket, Ekim, Uyo, and Itu 132-kilovolt substations.

“The entire system did not collapse, as the IBOM Generating Station was islanded (i.e., separated to stand alone and continue supplying some areas to avoid a total system failure), allowing it to supply electricity through the Eket, Ekim, Uyo, and Itu 132kV substations,” she said.

Mbah further disclosed that the collapsed national grid was partial as TCN has begun system recovery to restore normalcy in the affected area.

“Recovery is currently ongoing and has advanced significantly.” She said.

Mbah’s disclosure about the Akwa Ibom generating station being “islanded” came shortly after Emeka Ezeh, Head of Corporate Communications at the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), confirmed the national grid’s collapse around 6:48 p.m. on Monday.

“…of a general system collapse that occurred at 18:48 hours today, 14th October 2024.” He stated.

Speaking about how to restore power, a statement signed by Ezeh revealed that the EEDC is on standby to restore supply from Osogbo.

“We are on standby awaiting detailed information of the collapse and restoration of supply from the National Control Centre (NCC), Osogbo,” the statement read.

“Rest assured, we are working with the relevant stakeholders to restore power as soon as the grid is stabilised. Thank you for your understanding”, the statement indicated.

The Abuja Disco also reported the grid collapse at 6:58 p.m.

“Dear Valued Customer, Please be informed that the power outage being experienced is due to a system failure from the national grid at 6:58 pm today, affecting the power supply to our franchise areas”, the Abuja Disco declared.

It was reported that the collapsed electricity grid has vehemently thrown the nation into a blackout. Moreover, at the time of this report, power supply is yet to be restored across parts of the country.