Economy
Nigeria’s Manufacturing Output Rises 1.7% to N7.78trn Amid Challenges
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has revealed that real manufacturing output in the country increased modestly by 1.7 per cent year-on-year to N7.78 trillion amid prevailing challenges.
The Director-General of MAN, Mr Segun Ajayi-Kadir, in a report titled MAN Economic Review- Second Half 2024, said the focus manufacturing indicators included capacity utilisation, production value, inventory, local raw materials utilisation levels, investment, expenditure on alternative energy sources among others.
MAN also said capacity utilisation improved marginally to 57.0 per cent in the second half of 2024, up from 55.1 per cent in the same period of 2023.
A half-on-half analysis showed a 1.2 percentage point increase in H2 2024 compared to H1 2024.
According to him, the development is buoyed by increased activity in motor vehicles and miscellaneous assembly, non-metallic mineral products, and electrical and electronics.
He, however, noted a half-on-half decline of 3.1 per cent in real production reflected rising costs and weak consumer demand.
“Nominal manufacturing output rose sharply by 34.9 per cent to N33.43 trillion, primarily due to inflationary pressures and rising domestic prices,” he said.
The MAN DG said the manufacturing sector’s local raw material sourcing increased to 57.1 per cent in 2024, up from 52.0 per cent in 2023.
This shift, he stated, was largely driven by foreign exchange scarcity, high import costs, and government incentives promoting local content.
Mr Ajayi-Kadir declared improvements observed in wood and wood products, textiles, apparel and footwear, and chemical and pharmaceuticals.
He said the electrical and electronics sector continued to lag due to dependency on imported components.
On the downside, the manufacturing expert noted that inventory of unsold finished goods surged by 87.5 per cent to N2.14 trillion in 2024.
He attributed the drive to weakened consumer demand, escalating production costs, and declining purchasing power.
He, however, said that a half-on-half decrease of 27.9 per cent in H2 2024 suggested improved clearance efforts and price adjustments.
He added that the country’s real manufacturing investment fell by 35.3 per cent year-on-year to N658.81 billion in 2024, reflecting economic uncertainty and reduced expansion plans.
“However, H2 2024 witnessed a 19.4 per cent increase compared to H1 2024, as manufacturers cautiously resumed capital expenditures.
“The employment situation in Nigeria’s manufacturing sector remained relatively stable in 2024, with 34,769 jobs added, a 1.8 per cent increase from 34,163 jobs in 2023.
“However, the number of employees leaving manufacturing companies also increased from 17,364 in 2023 to 17,949 in 2024, indicating ongoing labour mobility due to economic uncertainties, skill migration, and company restructuring,” he said.
Mr Ajayi-Kadir also said that electricity supply situation for industries improved in 2024, with the average daily supply increasing to 13.3 hours per day, up from 10.6 hours in 2023.
He stated that on a half-on-half basis, electricity supply rose from 11.4 hours per day in H1 2024 to 15.2 hours in H2 2024.
The MAN DG, however, noted that electricity tariffs surged by over 200 per cent for Band A consumers, significantly increasing manufacturing costs.
“In response to unreliable grid power and increases in prices of diesel and fuel manufacturers’ total expenditure on alternative energy sources surged to N1.11 trillion, a 42.3 per cent increase from N781.68 billion in 2023.
“On a half-on-half basis, manufacturers spent N404.80 billion in H1 2024, which increased by 75.0 per cent to N708.07 billion in H2 2024,” he said.
Mr Ajayi-Kadir added that rising interest rates posed a major financial burden, with commercial bank lending rates to manufacturers surging to 35.5 per cent in 2024 from 28.06 per cent in 2023.
“Consequently, manufacturers’ finance costs totalled N1.3 trillion, constraining investment and expansion plans,” he said.
By Dipo Olowookere
Investors at the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited have continued to show excitement for the full-year earnings of companies on the exchange so far.
On Friday, Customs Street further appreciated by 1.01 per cent as more organization released their financial statements for the 2025 fiscal year.
During the session, traders continued their selective trading strategy, with the energy sector going up by 2.47 per cent at the close of business despite profit-taking in the banking counter, which saw its index down by 0.11 per cent.
Yesterday, the insurance space grew by 2.16 per cent, the industrial goods segment expanded by 1.70 per cent, and the consumer goods industry jumped by 0.42 per cent.
Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) increased by 1,722.13 points to 171,727.49 points from 170,005.36 points, and the market capitalisation soared by N1.106 trillion to N110.235 trillion from the N109.129 trillion it ended on Thursday.
Business Post reports that there were 59 appreciating stocks and 19 depreciating stocks on Friday, representing a positive market breadth index and strong investor sentiment.
The trio of Omatek, Deap Capital, and NAHCO gained 10.00 per cent each to sell for N2.64, N6.82, and N136.40 apiece, as Zichis and Austin Laz appreciated by 9.98 per cent each to close at N6.72 and N5.40, respectively.
Conversely, The Initiates depreciated by 9.74 per cent to N19.45, DAAR Communications slumped by 7.32 per cent to N1.90, United Capital crashed by 6.55 per cent to N18.55, Coronation Insurance lost 5.71 per cent to quote at N3.30, and First Holdco shrank by 5.53 per cent to N47.00.
The activity chart showed an improvement in the activity level, with the trading volume, value, and number of deals up by 33.77 per cent, 93.27 per cent, and 10.63 per cent, respectively.
This was because traders transacted 953.8 million shares worth N43.1 billion in 51,005 deals compared with the 713.0 million shares valued at N22.3 billion traded in 46,104 deals a day earlier.
Fidelity Bank was the most active with 92.4 million units sold for N1.8 billion, Chams transacted 69.2 million units valued at N310.9 million, Deap Capital exchanged 59.1 million units worth N382.7 million, Access Holdings traded 57.2 million units valued at N1.3 billion, and Tantalizers transacted 48.6 million units worth N228.2 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The value of the Naira contracted against the United States Dollar on Friday by 13 Kobo or 0.01 per cent to N1,366.19/$1 in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) from the previous day’s value of N1,366.06/$1.
According to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian currency also depreciated against the Pound Sterling in the same market window yesterday by N2.37 to N1,857.75/£1 from the N1,855.38/£1 it was traded on Thursday, and further depleted against the Euro by 57 Kobo to close at N1,612.52/€1 versus the preceding session’s N1,611.95/€1.
In the same vein, the exchange rate for international transactions on the GTBank Naira card showed that the Naira lost N8 on the greenback yesterday to N1,383/$1 from the previous day’s N1,375/$1 and at the black market, the Nigerian currency maintained stability against the Dollar at N1,450/$1.
FX analysts anticipate this trend to persist, primarily influenced by increasing external reserves, renewed inflows of foreign portfolio investments, and a reduction in speculative demand.
In the short term, stability in the FX market is expected to continue, supported by policy interventions and improving market confidence.
Nigeria’s foreign reserves experienced an upward trajectory, increasing by $632.38 million within the week to $46.91 billion from $46.27 billion in the previous week.
The Dollar appreciation this week appears to be largely technical, serving as a correction to the substantial losses experienced from mid- to late January.
Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market slightly appreciated, with Bitcoin (BTC) climbing near $68,000, up nearly 5 per cent since hitting $60,000 late on Thursday after investor confidence in crypto’s utility as a store of value, inflation hedge, and digital currency faltered.
The sell-off extended beyond crypto, with silver plunging 15 per cent and gold sliding more than 2 per cent. US stocks also fell.
The latest recoup saw the price of BTC up by 4.7 per cent to $67,978.96, as Ethereum (ETH) appreciated by 6.3 per cent to $2,021.10, and Ripple (XRP) surged by 9.5 per cent to $1.42.
In addition, Solana (SOL) grew by 7.3 per cent to $85.22, Cardano (ADA) added 6.1 per cent to trade at $0.2683, Dogecoin (DOGE) expanded by 5.4 per cent to $0.0958, Litecoin (LTC) rose by 5.2 per cent to $53.50, and Binance Coin (BNB) jumped by 2.3 per cent to $637.79, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) traded flat at $1.00 each.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Oil prices settled higher on Friday as traders worried that this week’s talks between the US and Iran had failed to reduce the risk of a military conflict between the two countries.
Brent crude futures traded at $68.05 a barrel after going up by 50 cents or 0.74 per cent, and the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures finished at $63.55 a barrel due to the addition of 26 cents or 0.41 per cent.
Iran and the US held negotiations in Muscat, the capital of Oman, on Friday to overcome sharp differences over Iran’s nuclear programme.
It was reported that the talks had ended with Iran’s foreign minister saying negotiators will return to their capitals for consultations and the talks will continue.
Regardless, the meeting kept investors anxious about geopolitical risk, as Iran wanted to stick to nuclear issues while the US wanted to discuss Iran’s ballistic missiles and support for armed groups in the region.
Any escalation of tension between the two nations could disrupt oil flows, since about a fifth of the world’s total consumption passes through the Strait of Hormuz between Oman and Iran.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq export most of their crude via the strait, as does Iran, which is a member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
According to Reuters, Iran objected to the presence of any US Central Command (CENTCOM) or other regional military officials, saying that would jeopardise the process.
The current confrontation was sparked by more than two weeks of unrest in Iran that saw authorities launch a deadly crackdown that killed thousands of civilians and shocked the world. As reports of the deaths trickled out of Iran, US President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran if any of the tens of thousands of protesters arrested were executed.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan’s planned oil exports could fall by as much as 35 per cent this month via its main route through Russia, as the country’s top oil company, Tengiz oilfield, slowly recovers from fires at power facilities in January.
ING analysts have pointed out Iran’s neighbour, Iraq, and a disagreement with the US as another bullish factor for oil prices. It seems Iraqi politicians favour Mr Nouri al-Maliki as the country’s next Prime Minister, but the US thinks Mr al-Maliki is too close to Iran. President Trump has already threatened the oil producer with consequences if he emerges as PM.
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