Why I’m not celebrating the naira’s recovery
Everywhere I went last week, talk was all about how the naira was making a remarkable recovery. How doomsday prophets have been shamed. And, how, finally, the central bank appears[…]
What should the MPC consider and then do?
The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) rate-setting body (the Monetary Policy Committee – MPC) meets today and tomorrow, to agree policy responses to domestic monetary conditions. And it could be[…]
Making sense of the National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan
My first thoughts on encountering the National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (NERGP) was that, at 142 pages, it was always going to be a difficult read. Upon reflection, however,[…]
Of Water Rights, Subsidies, and Clean Cars
Recent conversations around how unwashed my vehicle sometimes appears underscored how, even amongst those who ought to know, concern for resource use is the least of our worries. In these[…]
The Naira Fights Back
Mid-last week, the naira rallied very strongly against the dollar — recovering close to 10% of its value. As the week wound to a close, word on the street was[…]
A Toast To N700 To a Dollar By Year End
The naira, last week, ambled past the US$1:N500 mark. Not much to worry over if you share the opinion (quite popular in our official circles) that the black market is[…]
How well can we use the new monies we are borrowing?
That Nigeria’s first foray into the international capital markets in over four years was a qualified success is not in doubt. Nor is it surprising that the fact of the[…]
What hope for the economy’s recovery this year?
Speculation about the 2017 appropriation bill — how soon it will be enacted, and what its likely impact on domestic output would be — has been a staple of financial[…]
On the President’s Ill-health
The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) rate-setting committee met last week. And, despite the toll that both a depreciating naira and rising domestic prices are taking on consumer welfare (and[…]
Weak Tailwinds and a Sick Economy
News out of and about Nigeria, last week, was largely upbeat. Chances of the 2017 appropriation bill being passed a lot earlier than has been the norm since 1999, were[…]