Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria is set to receive around $2.25 billion single-digit interest loan from the World Bank and another budget support facility from the African Development Bank (AfDB).
This was disclosed by the Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edun, during a press briefing at the end of Nigeria’s activities at the World Bank/International Monetary Fund Spring meeting in Washington DC, the United States, which ended on Saturday, April 20.
Speaking on the sources of international funding to the Nigerian economy, Mr Edun listed diaspora remittances, foreign portfolio investments (FPIs), and facilities from the World Bank and other international development partners.
“We have qualified for the processing just this week to the Board of Directors of the World Bank of a total package of $2.25 billion of what you can call the closest you can get to a free lunch, virtually a grant. It’s for about 10- 20 years moratorium and about 1 per cent interest.
“In addition, there is a similar budgetary support – low-interest funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and, clearly, there are ongoing discussions with foreign direct investors across many sectors,” the Minister said.
Mr Edun also revealed that Nigeria will issue dollar-denominated securities specifically targeted at Nigerians in the diaspora and those with foreign-denominated savings in Nigeria as another measure to attract forex inflows into the country.
He further highlighted the efforts of the fiscal side of the economy in complimenting the recent monetary policy reforms by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
According to the Minister, the issuing of government securities at an interest rate closer to the CBN’s monetary policy rate is an indication of the collaboration between both sides of the economy in tackling inflation in the country and attracting forex inflows.
