Economy
Is Nigeria’s Economy Strong Enough for N33trn Debt?
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s debt profile has been a source of worry to many and recently, with the current reality in the global economy as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which coincided with President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for an additional $22.7 billion external loan, there have fresh reservations on the capability of the country to incur more debts.
Recently, the Debt Management Office (DMO) warned that the country could not hold its own especially with the impact that the virus is having on the country’s economy, making it impossible to service the debts on ground.
According to analysts, the country’s poor revenue generation and annual budget deficit were compounding the debts, as the country has to borrow to balance the shortage which as at September 2019 stood at $26 trillion.
With the Senate approval of the loan after much deliberations earlier this month, the total debt of the country could rise to N33 trillion and this has worried the same Senate, which expressed its displeasure as the loans intended to help the economy are on track to land the country in a crisis.
As such, the Deputy Chairman of Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, Mr Muhammad Bima Enagi, pointed this out while speaking at the one-day public lecture organized by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), on Public Debt in Nigeria: Trend sustainability and management.
“With the recent approval of the 2016-2018 External Borrowing Plan, the total debt stock would be about N33 trillion and 21 percent Debt to GDP ratio.
“What do we have to show as a people for these huge debts accumulated over the last four decades or so?” he asked.
“Clearly, Nigeria needs to get its public finance in order to avoid the potential fiscal and financial crisis ahead of the nation.
“The current debt situation in Nigeria needs to be properly managed and every borrowed Naira or Dollar, carefully deployed, especially in the face of the continued dependence of the nation’s economy on exported crude oil, with its usual price volatility.
“Borrowings must be project-tied and not just to support budget deficit. Furthermore, the projects must be such to grow the economy and bequeath laudable infrastructure and not debt for future generations,” he had further said.
DMO’s Director-General, Ms Patience Oniha, has, however, called for calm, saying despite these worries, there was no cause for alarm.
She explained that in order to ensure that the public debt was sustainable, the Debt-to-GDP Ratio was set at 25 percent, lower than the 56 percent advised by the World Bank and IMF, adding that the total public debt-to-GDP had remained within the 25 percent limit, standing at 18.47 percent in September 2019.
“This is, however, only one measure of debt sustainability, the other equally important measure is the debt service-to-revenue ratio and this is where Nigeria needs significant improvement.
‘’Actual Debt Service to Revenue Ratio has been high at over 50 percent since 2015, although it dropped to 51 percent in 2018 from 57 percent in 2017.
“The relatively high Debt Service to Revenue Ratio is the result of lower revenues and higher debt service figures.”
But the pertinent question remains on the lips of many, considering the realities on ground with oil prices pointing south: can Nigeria sustain the debt?
Mrs Oniha noted: “Whilst Nigeria’s debt is sustainable, recent developments in the global environment induced by COVID-19, already suggest a less than favourable economic outlook with implications for Nigeria.”
This week, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, announced the federal government has suspended its plans to do the $22.7 billion external borrowing. The House of Representatives is yet to approve the request, only the Senate has.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira appreciated against the US Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Friday, July 17, by N1.35 or 0.07 per cent to N1,380.18/$1 from N1,381.53/$1.
It also improved its value against the Pound Sterling in the same market segment during the session by N11.75 to trade at N1,854.42/£1 compared with the previous day’s N1,866.17/£1, and gained N5.69 against the Euro to sell at N1,576.99/€1 versus Thursday’s closing price of N1,582.68/€1.
In the same vein, the Naira chalked up N1 against the United States currency yesterday at the GTBank forex desk to quote at N1,388/$1, in contrast to the preceding day’s N1,389/$1, but closed flat at the black market at N1,405/$1.
The appreciation of the Nigerian currency on Friday came amid fresh signals that Nigeria is building its external reserves for protection against shocks and excessive currency volatility.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, said the country’s gross reserves had risen above approximately $52 billion by 15 July, while net reserves had increased from about $3 billion when the current CBN leadership took office to more than $40 billion.
Mr Cardoso linked the increase in reserves to reforms that had restored greater confidence in the foreign exchange system. He also pointed to efforts to diversify foreign currency inflows, including policies designed to increase remittances through official channels.
He noted that monthly diaspora remittances had risen above $600 million and the CBN expected them to reach approximately $1 billion by the end of 2026. The target is part of a broader effort to grow reserves through recurring inflows rather than temporary measures.
The improvement, he argued, had strengthened Nigeria’s capacity to respond when unexpected events threatened market stability.
The apex bank has also launched a new digital platform that will track every foreign exchange transaction involving Bureau De Change (BDC) operators, marking a major step in its efforts to improve transparency and strengthen oversight of Nigeria’s retail forex market.
As for the crypto market, prices were up as markets overlooked geopolitical developments and macro forces weighing on the whole market ecosystem rather than anything crypto-specific, with Cardano (ADA) up by 4.6 per cent to $0.1661.
Bitcoin (BTC) jumped by 1.8 per cent to $63,968.32, Ethereum (ETH) improved by 0.9 per cent to $1,843.88, Dogecoin (DOGE) also rose by 0.9 per cent to $0.0723, Solana (SOL) soared by 0.6 per cent to $74.90, Ripple (XRP) also appreciated by 0.6 per cent to $1.08, and Binance Coin (BNB) advanced by 0.1 per cent to $567.32.
However, TRON (TRX) depreciated by 0.2 per cent to close at $0.3218, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 each.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The prices of the crude oil grades rose Friday, as fighting between the US and Iran continued in the Middle East, leading to further attacks in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Syria.
Brent crude futures advanced by about 4.6 per cent to $88.10 per barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures gained about 4.5 per cent to settle at $82.49 per barrel.
US forces stepped up attacks on Iranian sites, reportedly striking key bridges, railways, and an airport, prompting retaliatory action by Iran.
US Central Command said that it had completed its sixth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, hitting dozens of military targets such as military logistics infrastructure and maritime capabilities.
Centcom said more than 50,000 service members were operating across the Middle East, adding that they “remain vigilant, lethal, and ready.”
Iran said it attacked the US targets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Syria in retaliation for the latest round of strikes by the Americans.
Kuwait said Iran attacked a power and water desalination plant as fighting escalated in the Persian Gulf, saying that the attack damaged the facility that sparked a fire that affected a large number of its electricity-generating units, according to The Kuwait Times.
Kuwait is heavily dependent on desalination plants for potable water. Analysts have long feared that Iran would strike infrastructure that is critical to supporting civilian life in the Middle East.
A tanker was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman, causing minor damage, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said in an incident report Friday. Iran has repeatedly attacked tankers over the past week as it tries to force civilian ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz through its waters.
The escalating fighting comes as the fragile truce reached last month has collapsed, once again disrupting energy flows through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles around 20% of the world’s oil traffic.
Earlier in the week, President Donald Trump said American forces would target Iran’s infrastructure next week unless the two sides reached a diplomatic breakthrough.
Iran has asked Yemen’s Houthis to close the Red Sea oil route if the US targets Iranian power infrastructure.
Market analysts noted that Iran and the US still have strong economic incentives to avoid a complete breakdown in talks, with the US seeking lower oil prices ahead of the November midterm elections and Iran reluctant to forgo economic incentives.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Despite signs that Nigeria’s headline inflation is easing, rising food prices continue to threaten the country’s inflation outlook, the chief executive of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Mr Muda Yusuf, has warned.
He noted that structural inflationary pressures in the real economy remain pronounced despite improving macroeconomic stability.
In a policy brief released following the inflation report, he noted that headline inflation eased marginally, while month-on-month change moderated from 1.75 per cent to 1.66 per cent, indicating that headline inflation has largely plateaued.
According to him, the dominant concern in the latest inflation report is the renewed acceleration in food inflation.
This growth, he said, suggested that food prices have resumed an upward trajectory after a brief period of moderation.
Warning that a renewed increase in food inflation has significant economic and social implications, he stressed that food inflation remained the biggest driver of Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis, stressing that rising food prices continue to erode household purchasing power, worsen poverty and food insecurity while weakening the inclusiveness of the current reform programme.
He maintained that sustained moderation in food prices is critical to improving citizens’ welfare and strengthening public confidence in the ongoing economic reforms.
Acknowledging the easing of core inflation as encouraging, he drew attention to the persistence of urban inflation.
At 16.08 per cent, urban inflation exceeded the national headline inflation rate of 15.91 per cent, while month-on-month urban inflation increased from 1.99 per cent to 2.13 per cent.
According to Mr Yusuf, the figures indicated that inflationary pressures remained particularly intense across urban centres.
He attributed the rising urban inflation partly to increasing population displacement from rural communities affected by insecurity, expressing worry that as more households migrate to urban areas, demand for housing, transportation, utilities and other essential services would increase, adding to inflationary pressures and creating additional urbanisation challenges.
Addressing insecurity in farming communities, he said, was important not only for protecting lives and property and boosting agricultural output but also for easing cost pressures in urban centres, adding that the June CPI data reinforced the view that Nigeria’s inflation challenge is predominantly structural rather than monetary.
On the monetary policy outlook, he said the data do not justify further monetary tightening, arguing that headline inflation has largely stabilised.
The CPPE chief expected the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to retain the current monetary policy rate at its next meeting, adding that the priority is for monetary and fiscal authorities to work together to accelerate structural reforms to expand food supply, improve logistics, reduce energy and production costs, lower debt service costs, as well as strengthen domestic value chains.
