Economy
Concerns Grow as Nigeria’s Foreign Reserves Decrease to $38.3bn
By Dipo Olowookere
**May Drop to $37bn in Few Days’ Time
**Shed $4.5bn in 2019, $306m So Far in 2020
**Dangote Fears Devaluation Imminent
**No Cause for Alarm—CBN
Though the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said Nigerians should not panic over the gradual decline in the foreign reserves, observers have cautioned both the fiscal and monetary authorities not sleep with their eyes closed because it might spell doom for the country.
This is because if the depletion of the reserves continues with the steady fall, the nation, which is Africa’s largest economy, may fall into another recession under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
During his first term in office as a civilian leader of the country, just after a year he was sworn into office in 2015, Nigeria went into an economic recession. However, a year later, 2017, Mr Buhari and his team led the nation out of the crisis.
One of the main reasons for sliding into recession was a decline in the price of crude oil at the global market coupled with decline in the volume of the commodity produced.
The period was when restive Niger-Delta youth were attacking oil facilities in the oil-rich region, making it difficult for Nigeria to meet its daily production, resulting into lesser revenue from the sale of crude oil, the country’s main source of foreign earnings.
But when federal government held meetings with stakeholders from that part of the country, the attacks reduced and Nigeria started producing up to 1.7 million barrels per day, resulting into more money.
In 2019, the average price of crude oil at the international market was around $59 per barrel, while the benchmark for the country’s budget was $55 per barrel. This year, the benchmark was put at $60 and the price has remained around $63 to $65.
But despite the excess recorded from the sale of crude oil last year, the external reserves have been reducing, making some observers to raise concerns, urging the central bank to do something fast to prevent a devaluation of the Naira, which the present government does not support.
Business Post reports that the apex bank has been taking from the reserves to support the local currency, making it stable around N360 per Dollar at most of the various segments of the foreign exchange market.
For example, at the beginning of a new week, the CBN regularly releases the sum of $210 million to the forex market, with wholesale sector normally getting $100 million, the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the invisible segments receiving $55 million each. At the end of the week, it also injects over $200 million into the Retail Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS).
These interventions have contributed to the decline in the country’s reserves and the central bank has promised not to stop defending the Naira so as to avert currency speculations, which pushed the local currency exchange rate to over N500 to a Dollar over three years ago.
According to data obtained by Business Post from CBN, Nigeria’s external reserves have dropped about $306.1 million since the beginning of this year to $38.3 billion as at Friday, January 10, 2020.
In 2019 alone, the reserves depleted by $4.5 billion, depreciating to $38.6 billion at December 31 from $43.1 billion at January 2, 2019.
In November 2019, Business Post reported that Governor of the CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele, told some potential investors in London, United Kingdom, that the devaluation of Naira would only be possible if the nation’s external reserves go below $30 billion and the international price of crude oil drops to $45 per barrel.
In 2017, President of Association of Bureau de Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Mr Aminu Gwadabe, said Mr Emefiele assured his members that the bank had no intention to devalue the Naira.
But Africa’s richest man, Mr Aliko Dangote, is already planning ahead of a possible devaluation of the Nigerian Naira by the CBN.
He recently told Mr David Rubenstein of Bloomberg TV that in order not to be caught off guard, he was considering getting an office space in New York, United States of America, to protect the wealth of the family, expressing concerns that a devaluation of the currency may weaken his local investments.
“In Africa, you know we have issues of devaluation, so we want to really preserve some of the family’s wealth,” Mr Dangote, 62, was quoted as saying on the David Rubenstein programme, noting that the office space in New York will help to diversify his business and avoid the risk of currency fluctuations on his home continent.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Three hundred business owners in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector of the economy have been admitted into the inaugural Growth Factory Accelerator Programme of MSME Africa.
For eight weeks, the beneficiaries will under an intensive training aimed at empowering them with hands-on training, mentorship, and real-world business tools.
The scheme will combine live virtual workshops, self-paced online courses, and exclusive Ask-Me-Anything (AMA) sessions, giving participants a comprehensive, interactive learning experience.
Throughout the accelerator, participants will engage in immersive learning sessions, working on practical business strategies, and collaborating with a diverse community of like-minded entrepreneurs.
The programme’s robust curriculum is designed to equip entrepreneurs with essential business management skills, helping them to better position their businesses for growth.
The participants will have live virtual sessions and pre-recorded content available on Zoom and MSME Africa’s website, enjoy interactive workshops focusing on the real-world application of business skills, and have direct access to experienced mentors and industry experts to answer questions and provide guidance.
In addition, the entrepreneurs will network with fellow entrepreneurs for potential partnerships and growth, and then be assessed to ensure they meet the scheme’s criteria and receive certification upon completion.
By the end of the program, they will be equipped with the tools and knowledge needed to launch their businesses and access vital funding opportunities.
MSME Africa explained that it came up with this initiative to help early to mid-stage entrepreneurs develop the critical skills, knowledge, and network needed to scale their businesses.
The Growth Factory Accelerator Programme is a critical initiative for MSME Africa’s mission to support and grow SMEs across Africa.
With many small businesses facing challenges related to capacity building, access to funding, and growth strategies, this programme will equip participants with the skills they need to overcome these obstacles and succeed in today’s competitive market.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange, for the second consecutive week, ended in the negative region, shedding 8.67 per cent in Week 12 of 2025.
In the week under review, the market capitalisation lost N2.95 billion to close at N1.939 trillion compared with the preceding week’s N1.942 trillion, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) dropped 75.07 points to settle at 3,358.61 points versus the previous week’s 3,363.74 points.
Last week, the volume of trades went up by 359.2 per cent to 32.29 million units from the 7.03 million units recorded in the previous week, but the value of transactions went down by 36.2 per cent to N67.6 million from N105.9 million.
The most active stock by value in Week 12 was Geo-Fluids Plc with N31.6 million, Okitipula Plc recorded N17.6 million, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc posted N9.4 million, Afriland Properties Plc achieved N3.9 million, and CSCS Plc reported N3.5 million.
Geo-Fluids Plc was also the most traded equity by volume with 31.3 million units, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc transacted 0.251 million units, Afriland Properties Plc recorded 0.914 million, CSCS Plc traded 0.152 million units, and Food Concepts Plc recorded 0.130 million units.
Afriland Properties Plc suffered the heaviest loss with a decline of 10.8 per cent to trade at N19.50 per share compared with N23.2o per share, Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc slipped by 5.1 per cent to 37 Kobo per unit from 39 Kobo per unit, Geo-Fluids Plc lost 4.9 per cent to end at N2.70 per share versus N2.84 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc depreciated by 4.9 per cent to N37.17 unit from N38.23 per unit, and Food Concepts dropped 2.8 per cent to finish at N1.49 per share versus N1.67 per share.
On the flip side, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc gained 5.3 per cent to trade at N22.84 per unit against the previous week’s N21.69 per unit, UBN Property Plc rose by 2.6 per cent to N2.00 per share from N1.95 per share, and Okitipupa Plc increased by 2.5 per cent to N307.66 per unit from N300.00 per unit.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has once again vowed that market operators engaging in unscrupulous activities would not be allowed to go unpunished.
The Director-General of SEC, Mr Emomotimi Agama, in a new notice to operators said there is no hiding place for violators in the country’s capital market.
This latest call joins recent calls by the regulator that it would mop up all illegalities in the Nigerian capital market in order to protect the country’s image and investors.
He described investors’ protection as a fundamental principle for the commission, noting that the Investments and Securities Act (ISA) 2007 clearly outlined the objectives of securities regulation in the country.
According to him, “it is important that as a form of self-regulation, they (operators) know beforehand that if you do what is not right, the SEC will bring you out to the wall to say that you do not have character.
“This is because the very ethics of regulating or of registering a securities market operator is in the principle of the fit and proper person’s test.
“A fit and proper person’s test means that you satisfy all of the requirements that have been laid down in the ISA 2007 and in other regulations that the SEC has brought out to make sure that this happens.
“So, clearly for us, it is getting people to understand that there is no hiding place anymore for anybody that has an intention to defraud Nigerians and to defraud anybody that is investing in this market.
“And so what you have been seeing most recently by the revocation of licences, by the suspension of operators, and our follow up to operators that are not registered with the SEC is only a tip of the iceberg as to what we intend to do this year.
“We believe strongly that a protected investor is a powerful investor and we will do everything within the powers of the SEC and the Nigerian law to make sure that we deter unscrupulous persons who are involved in trying to defraud Nigerian investors.”
The director-general said SEC was committed to ensuring that all market participants understood the Commission’s responsibilities.
He said compliance and information disclosure were important to capital market operation describing them as the fundamental objectives of securities regulation.
Mr Agama urged both existing and prospective market participants to work closely with the Commission to foster the development of the market.
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