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Economy

JUST IN: Nigeria’s GDP Slows to 2.31% in Q1 of 2023

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0.51% GDP Growth

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

Nigeria’s economic growth slowed to 2.31 per cent in the first quarter of 2023 from the 3.52 per cent achieved in the fourth quarter of 2022 and 3.11 per cent reported in the first three months of last year.

This revelation was made by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data released on Wednesday, May 24, 2023.

The country’s economy was on its knees in the first three months of this year because of the preparations for the 2023 general elections and the cash crunch.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) redesigned the Naira last year and gave till February 10 to swap the old notes with the new dominations of N200, N500, and N1,000.

However, the policy triggered economic hardship and riots across the country and resulted in the intervention of the Supreme Court, which pushed the deadline forward to December 2023.

The CBN Naira redesign policy seems to have been abandoned as the new notes are not seen in circulation as expected ahead of the new deadline for the validity of the old currency notes.

In its data released today, the stats office said the decline in the economic growth in the period under review could be “attributed to the adverse effects of the cash crunch experienced during the quarter.”

It stated that, “The performance of the GDP in the first quarter of 2023 was driven mainly by the services sector, which recorded a growth of 4.35 per cent and contributed 57.29 per cent to the aggregate GDP.”

“The agriculture sector grew by -0.90 per cent, lower than the growth of 3.16 per cent recorded in the first quarter of 2022.

“Although the growth of the industry sector improved to 0.31 per cent relative to – 6.81 per cent recorded in the first quarter of 2022, agriculture and the industry sectors contributed less to the aggregate GDP in the quarter under review compared to the first quarter of 2022,” a part of the release said.

The NBS disclosed that the real growth of the oil sector was –4.21 per cent on a year-on-year basis in Q1 2023, indicating an increase of 21.83 per cent relative to the rate recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2022 at -26.04 per cent.

It said growth increased by 9.18 per cent when compared to Q4 2022, which was –13.38 per cent, and on a quarter-on-quarter basis, the oil sector recorded a growth rate of 20.68 per cent in Q1 2023.

The sector, according to the stats office, contributed 6.21 per cent to the total real GDP in Q1 2023, down from the figure recorded in the corresponding period of 2022 and up from the preceding quarter, where it contributed 6.63 per cent and 4.34 per cent, respectively.

As for the non-oil sector, it grew by 2.77 per cent in real terms during the reference quarter, lower by 3.30 per cent points compared to the rate recorded in the same quarter of 2022 and 1.67 per cent points lower than the fourth quarter of 2022.

This sector was driven in the first quarter of 2023 mainly by Information and Communication (Telecommunication); Financial and Insurance (Financial Institutions); Trade; Manufacturing (Food, Beverage & Tobacco); Construction; and Transportation & Storage (Road Transport), accounting for positive GDP growth.

In real terms, the non-oil sector contributed 93.79 per cent to the nation’s GDP in the first quarter of 2023, higher than the share recorded in the first quarter of 2022, which was 93.37 per cent and lower than the fourth quarter of 2022 recorded as 95.66 per cent.

Economy

46 Stocks Gain Weight, 53 Equities Lose on NGX in One Week

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NGX investors

By Dipo Olowookere

The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited was bullish last week despite investors’ mood swing, triggered by happenings in the country and across the globe, especially the Middle East crisis.

The All-Share Index (ASI) and the market capitalisation appreciated week-on-week by 3.94 per cent to 225,722.49 points and N145.335 trillion, respectively.

Similarly, all other indices finished higher with the exception of the growth and commodity indices, which depreciated by 0.02 per cent and 0.41 per cent, respectively, while the sovereign bond index closed flat.

A look at the price changes of shares in the five-day trading week showed that

46 stocks gained weight versus 61 stocks of the previous week, 53 equities shed weight compared with 36 equities a week earlier, and 47 shares closed flat, in contrast to 49 shares of the preceding week.

UAC Nigeria led the gainers’ chart after it chalked up 42.00 per cent to trade at N142.00, Union Dicon appreciated by 32.73 per cent to N21.90, NASCON expanded by 32.63 per cent to N206.90, Trans-Nationwide Express rose by 30.58 per cent to N7.90, and Zichis improved by 25.71 per cent to N15.60.

On the flip side, Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank led the losers’ group after it gave up 50.79 per cent to close at N9.35, Abbey Mortgage Bank declined by 33.33 per cent to N5.40, Guinea Insurance slipped by 15.20 per cent to N1.06, Stanbic IBTC lost 13.82 per cent to settle at N162.50, and Living Trust Mortgage Bank slumped by 10.98 per cent to N3.65.

As for the activity log, Customs Street recorded a turnover of 3.805 billion shares worth N213.955 billion in 297,202 deals in the week compared with 3.588 billion shares valued at N195.313 billion transacted in 254,553 deals in the previous week.

Financial stocks led the activity chart with 2.739 billion units sold for N106.269 billion in 135,101 deals, contributing 71.99 per cent and 49.67 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.

Services equities traded 212.324 million units worth N4.024 billion in 17,042 deals, and consumer goods shares exchanged 180.076 million units valued at N13.269 billion in 32,457 deals.

Access Holdings, UBA, and First Holdco were the busiest with 814.060 million units traded for N39.032 billion in 37,195 deals, contributing 21.40 per cent and 18.24 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value, respectively.

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Economy

NGX Group’s 65th Annual General Meeting Holds April 29

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NGX Group Shares

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The 65th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Group Plc has been fixed for Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 11:00 am at its corporate head office on 2–4 Customs Street, Lagos.

Business Post gathered that the meeting would be streamed live on the company’s website and social media platforms to enable broader participation by shareholders and stakeholders unable to attend physically.

As part of a special business, shareholders will consider a proposed bonus issue of one new ordinary share for every three existing shares held as at the close of business on April 10, 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.

The proposal also includes an increase in the organisation’s share capital from N1,102,309,954 to N1,469,746,605, to accommodate the bonus shares and amendments to the Memorandum of Association to reflect the new capital structure.

Also at the gathering, shareholders will consider and, if deemed fit, approve the company’s audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025, alongside the reports of the directors, auditors, board evaluation consultants, and audit committee.

The meeting will also deliberate on the declaration of a final dividend and the re-election of three non-executive directors retiring by rotation, who are Mr Umaru Kwairanga, Mrs Ojinika Olaghere, and Dr Okechukwu Itanyi.

Other ordinary business items on the agenda include authorising the board to fix the remuneration of the external auditors, determining the remuneration of managers, and electing members of the statutory audit committee.

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Economy

BNB Price Reflects Changing Dynamics in the Digital Asset Market

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BNB price

Digital asset markets have slowed, though not in a dramatic way. Things are still moving, just not with much urgency. The BNB price reflects that shift, sitting within a tighter range as broader conditions begin to shape behavior more than short bursts of demand.

It can feel uneventful at first. No strong push higher, no sharp drop either. But the movement is still there. It just does not travel far. A rise begins, then fades. A dip forms, then steadies again. It repeats more than you might expect.

That pattern tends to linger. Sometimes longer than people anticipate, especially when there is no clear reason for it to change quickly.

BNB Price Movement Reflects Exchange-Driven Demand

BNB does not behave like assets that rely purely on outside demand. Its connection to the Binance ecosystem changes that.

Usage matters here. Trading activity, transaction volume and general platform engagement all feed into how BNB is used. That connection is not always obvious in the short term, but it sits underneath everything.

Sometimes it shows up clearly. Other times it does not. The relationship is there either way.

When activity holds steady, price often follows that tone. It does not surge, but it does not weaken much either. It stays somewhere in the middle, supported without needing strong momentum. It reflects usage more than speculation in many cases.

Market Conditions Continue to Shape Price Behaviour

There is also the wider market to consider. Binance has pointed out that liquidity remains tight, with capital concentrating in a smaller number of assets.

Bitcoin still holds close to 59% of the market. Ethereum sits much lower, around 11.8%. After that, the drop-off becomes more noticeable. Smaller assets make up far less than they once did. That shift matters. It changes how everything moves.

When capital gathers like this, movement tends to compress. Prices still change, but not as freely. It becomes harder for assets to break away from the general pattern.

BNB is part of that. It does not sit outside these conditions. It moves with them more often than against them.

BNB Utility Remains Central to Its Value

There is also the question of utility, which tends to be discussed but not always fully understood.

BNB is used across the Binance ecosystem in practical ways. Fees, transactions, access to services. These are not abstract use cases. They happen regularly, even when markets feel quiet.

That kind of activity does not always push prices higher. But it does create a base level of demand. Something that holds, rather than drives.

Over time, that can matter more than short bursts of interest. It gives the asset a different kind of stability. Not fixed, but less reactive. That difference tends to show up more clearly over longer periods.

Institutional and Retail Activity Remain Balanced

Participation is mixed. Institutional involvement has increased, but it does not dominate. Retail activity is still there and often more visible in certain phases. Neither side controls the market on its own. That is part of why movement feels less defined.

At times, it can seem like different forces are pulling in slightly different directions. Not enough to create volatility, but enough to prevent a clear trend from forming.

So price moves, then pauses. Moves again, then settles. It continues like that, without fully committing to either direction.

Global Participation Continues to Expand

Outside of price, participation continues to grow. Estimates suggest global cryptocurrency users are now approaching 860 million, reflecting continued expansion across digital asset markets.

That kind of growth does not always appear in charts straight away. It builds slowly. People enter the space, others remain active and usage continues in ways that are not always easy to track day to day.

BNB sits within that broader expansion. As the ecosystem grows, so does the potential for continued use. It is not immediate. It rarely is. But it accumulates over time. That gradual build tends to matter more than short-term spikes.

Local Economic Conditions Add Perspective

Broader economic conditions still play a role. Inflation remains around the mid-teen range, which suggests the environment is stabilizing, though not completely settled.

That kind of backdrop tends to influence behavior. When conditions feel uncertain, decisions become more measured.

It does not directly control how BNB moves. But it helps explain the pace. Why do things feel slower, more contained? Markets do not exist in isolation, even when they seem separate. External factors tend to feed in gradually.

Right now, the market feels balanced more than anything else. The B&B price reflects that. Not pushing higher, not dropping away. Just holding.

There is still activity underneath. Usage continues. Participation grows. Liquidity shifts, even if it is not always visible.

For now, BNB is sitting in that middle space. Not doing too much, but not losing ground either. It might not stand out. But these phases tend to matter more than they first seem. Over time, they often shape what comes next, even if that is not immediately obvious.

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