Economy
CBN Determined to Make Nigerian Economy Very Robust—Emefiele
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it is leading the drive towards diversifying the nation’s economy away from oil through its numerous interventions.
Mr Godwin Emefiele, Governor of CBN, said this at the 33rd Seminar organised by CBN for the Finance Correspondents and Business Editors on Saturday in Lagos. The conference was held simultaneously in Lagos and Abuja and themed Policy Options for Economic Diversification: Thinking Outside the Crude Oil Box.
Mr Emefiele said the quest for building a robust economy had remained the major component of the monetary policy.
According to him, Nigeria has largely depended on the oil sector for revenue generation over the past four decades.
He, therefore, said there was a need to build a broad-based and well-diversified economy that would guarantee overall macroeconomic stability.
“The quest for building a more sophisticated economy and agricultural, micro, small, and medium enterprises, industrial and manufacturing concerns have become the major component of our monetary policy.
“Nigeria has largely depended on the oil sector for revenue generation over the past four decades, and the sustained decline in crude oil production has continued to negatively undermine the performance of the economy.
“Thus, there is the urgent need for a conscientious effort to diversify to other non-oil sectors,” Mr Emefiele said.
The CBN chief, represented by the Director of Corporate Communication Department, Mr Osita Nwanisobi, said the apex bank had supported non-oil sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, education, power and aviation, and other allied economic value chains.
He said Nigeria had become a rice exporting country as the bank’s flagship Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) had changed the long-standing dependence on imported rice.
He said the CBN had through its Agriculture Credit Scheme, supported commercial farmers in the country in different value chains including oil palm, cotton, and cocoa, among others.
He said the implementation of 44 items prohibited from foreign exchange for import had revealed that the bank’s continued support to the manufacturing sector and MSMEs was yielding great results.
He also said the apex bank’s health sector intervention was beginning to reduce healthcare tourism, which according to him, was helping to conserve the country’s foreign exchange and improve the well-being of Nigerians.
Similarly, Emefiele stated that the new 100 for 100 Policy on Production and Productivity, was beginning to yield quality results.
He also said the RT200 FX initiative designed to take advantage of Nigeria’s large domestic production to other regional markets, was targeted at increasing foreign exchange inflows to the economy and supporting exchange rate stability.
On digitalisation across all sectors, specifically in entrenching a resilient payments system, Emefiele said the bank had over the years established strategic initiatives and policies in the financial sector.
He named the strategies as the Payments System Vision 2020 (2007), National Financial Inclusion Strategy (2012 2018 ), Cash-less Policy (2012), Framework for Regulatory Sandbox Operations (2018 2021) Open Banking Initiative (2021), among others.
The apex bank governor said, as a result, the Nigerian payment ecosystem had witnessed tremendous improvements over the years.
He said, “To consolidate its efforts towards engendering a digital economy, the bank deployed the eNaira, Africa’s first Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in preparation for the payment landscape if the future given the potential benefits that will accrue to a digital economy.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
If all the critical stakeholders put their hands on the deck, Nigeria can meet or surpass Brazil’s $94.41 billion export performance to China in 2024 because the country has all it takes to achieve this goal.
This was the view of the Director-General of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP), Mr Joseph Tegbe, when he met with the Minister of State for Industry, Trade, and Investment, Mr John Owan Enoh, to discuss move to accelerate Nigeria’s industrial revolution.
The meeting, which held in Abuja, explored actionable strategies to unlock the full industrial potential of both sectors within the framework of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda with an overarching goal to shift Nigeria from an import-dependent economy to a production- and export-led industrial powerhouse.
Mr Tegbe emphasized that the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership is committed to supporting this transformation, noting the country’s readiness to evolve from a consumption-driven economy into a strategic development partner—particularly with China.
He highlighted the mining sector’s vast potential, with over 40 commercially viable minerals as critical enablers of industrial growth.
The DG emphasized the need to build out local beneficiation, processing, and refining capacity—an agenda supported by clear regulatory reforms and investment incentives rather than continuing the raw export of mineral resources.
The Industrial Revolution Working Groups (IRWG)—a flagship initiative of the Presidential Council on Industrial Revitalization—are already operational, working to resolve regulatory bottlenecks, improve access to infrastructure and financing, and unlock sustainable growth across the mining value chain.
Mr Tegbe said the automotive sector was receiving focused government attention, with policies in place to make Nigeria a regional hub for vehicle assembly and full-scale manufacturing, adding that the Nigeria First Policy has already begun to stimulate demand for domestically assembled vehicles, while boosting investor confidence in the sector.
“There is a strong commitment to the implementation of a structured national automotive policy, aiming to move from basic vehicle assembly to advanced manufacturing that integrates local supply chains and paves the way for electric and energy-efficient mobility,” he said.
Speaking on Nigeria’s comprehensive strategic partnership with China, Mr Tegbe shared updates on landmark agreements secured with major Chinese firms including Huawei, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), Chilwee Group, and Choice International Group (CIG).
According to him, these companies are bringing advanced technologies, skilled manpower, and capital into Nigeria’s automotive, mining, manufacturing, communication and clean energy sectors—contributing directly to job creation, technology transfer, and industrial innovation.
“These partnerships are not only vital for job creation, but they will also strengthen our technical capabilities, expand industrial output, and accelerate localization of production,” said Mr Tegbe, adding that, “We are changing the narrative—Nigeria must no longer be seen as a mere consumer market; but an active industrial partner.”
In his remarks, Mr Enoh reaffirmed the federal government’s renewed commitment to three priority sectors—Sugar, Cotton-Textile-Garment (CTG), and Automobiles—each backed by active industry councils to drive localized production, stimulate domestic demand, and boost Nigeria’s global industrial competitiveness.
At the center of this shift is the Nigeria First Policy, a landmark presidential directive that mandates all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to prioritize Nigerian-made goods and services in public procurement.
This policy is already restructuring supply chains, catalyzing job creation, and reducing overreliance on imports across key sectors.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange closed in the green territory as it saw a 0.13 per cent rise on Tuesday, May 20.
The market capitalisation was higher during the session by N2.39 billion to N1.847 trillion from the N1.844 trillion recorded on Monday, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) went up by 4.09 points to 3,154.58 points from the 3,150.49 points quoted at the last trading day.
There was a decline in the volume of securities traded at the bourse yesterday by 98.6 per cent to 572,645 units from the 42.0 million units recorded a day earlier, the value of shares transacted during the session also went down by 97.1 per cent to N6.1 million from N210.6 million, and the number of deals increased by 122.2 per cent to 20 deals from the nine deals achieved in the previous session.
The NASD OTC exchange ended the trading day with four price gainers and one price loser led by Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc, which fell by N1.83 to settle at N23.87 per share, in contrast to Monday’s closing price of N25.70 per share.
However, Geo-Fluids Plc gained 22 Kobo to close at N2.53 per unit versus the previous day’s N2.31 per unit, Food Concepts Plc rose by 14 Kobo to N1.55 per share from N1.41 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc added 10 Kobo to sell at N40.10 per unit compared with the previous day’s N40.00 per unit, and UBN Property Plc grew by 9 Kobo to N2.25 per share from N2.16 per share.
At the close of transactions, Impresit Bakolori Plc was the most active stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 536.9 million units worth N524.7 million, followed by Geo-Fluids Plc with 266.7 million units valued at N471.3 million, and Okitipupa Plc with 153.6 million units sold for N4.9 billion.
Okitipupa Plc was the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 153.6 million valued at N4.9 billion, trailed by FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc with 21.9 million units sold for N843.0 million, and Impresit Bakolori Plc with 536.9 million units worth N524.7 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira further appreciated against the US Dollar on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, by 0.48 per cent or N7.69 at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) retained the benchmark interest rate at 27.50 per cent.
During the trading session, the exchange rate closed at N1,591.25/$1, in contrast to the preceding day’s value of N1,598.94/$1.
In the same vein, the local currency gained N10.79 against the Pound Sterling yesterday in the official market to sell for N2,126.60/£1 versus Monday’s price of N2,137.29/£1 and chalked up N7.51 on the Euro to finish at N1,791.49/€1 compared with the previous day’s N1,799.00/€1.
In the black market, the Nigerian currency maintained stability against the Dollar during the session to quote at N1,625/$1.
At the end of the 300th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting on Tuesday, the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) was left at 27.50 per cent, the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) remained at 50 per cent, and the Liquidity Ratio (LR) was kept at 30 per cent.
In addition, the Governor of the CBN, Mr Yemi Cardoso, said the Naira is stable and more competitive in the FX market, indicating stability for the Nigerian economy.
In the cryptocurrency market, Cardano (ADA) jumped by 2.5 per cent to trade at $0.7549, Dogecoin (DOGE) appreciated by 1.6 per cent to sell at $0.2278, Bitcoin (BTC) increased its value by 1.4 per cent to end at $107,038.79, Binance Coin (BNB) rose by 1.2 per cent to finish at $655.82, Ethereum (ETH) increased by 0.7 per cent to $2,557.02, and Solana (SOL) went up by 0.6 per cent to close at $169.02.
On the flip side, Litecoin (LTC) recorded a 0.8 per cent depreciation to settle at $95.07, and Ripple (XRP) slumped by 0.2 per cent to $2.35, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchange at $1.00 apiece.
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