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Economic: IMF Wrong On Nigeria’s Projections – Budget Office

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Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze
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The Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, says the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been wrong in its projections of the Nigerian economy in the last four years.

“In the last four years, IMF has got it wrong about our projections,” Akabueze said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday. “Our actual growth have always beat their projections.”

Akabueze spoke on the economic projections of the President Bola Tinubu government for 2024.

On November 29, 2023, the President presented his maiden budget estimates of N27.5trn for the year 2024 to the National Assembly (NASS).

According to the President, the economy is expected to grow by 3.76%, while “inflation is expected to moderate to 21.4 percent in 2024”.

“Budget deficit is projected at 18 trillion naira in 2024 or 3.88 percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” the President had added.

The President’s projection was at variance and “ambitious” to the prediction of IMF earlier in October. The Washington-based lender had projected that the country’s economy would grow at 3.1% in 2024.

However, the Budget Office boss said IMF’s projections “do not represent the holy grail on economic growth”, adding that the organisation “can’t get it right better than the people who have direct responsibility for managing their individual economies”.

Akabueze said the growth rate projected by the Tinubu government in its maiden budget “doesn’t even yet reflect the ambition of the government”, adding that the incumbent administration “wants to double the GDP before the end of the first term”.

He said the 2024 budget estimates awaiting approval at the National Assembly was “way too small” to Nigeria’s need but the government had to cut its coat according to its cloth.

The Budget Office director general insisted that despite the criticisms against the 2024 budget estimates, the appropriation bill caters for the poor in terms of healthcare, security, education and the economy.

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Business & Economy

Nigerian Economy Stabilising — CBN Governor, Cardoso

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CBN Governor Yemi Cardoso
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The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, has said the Nigerian economy has stability.
He disclosed this at the press briefing at the end of its 300th Monetary Policy Committee meeting on Tuesday.

According to him, investors’ confidence in the Nigerian economy has improved over the past eighteen months.

Responding to questions on how improved macroeconomic fundamentals of the Nigerian economy are impacting the lives of Nigerians, he said, “Investors do not go to where there is economic instability. They don’t go out to lose money but to make a profit. With that stability comes confidence and then investment and growth.

“What is now being recognised is that the Nigerian economy is not stable. The inflation numbers speak for themselves.”

Recall that the World Bank, in its latest Nigerian Development Update report, said the country is in good shape as it grew by 3.4 percent in 2024.

 

 

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Business & Economy

 CBN Retains Nigeria’s Interest At 27.50%

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Yemi Cardoso,CBN Governor
Yemi Cardoso, CBN Governor
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The Central Bank of Nigeria Monetary Policy Committee has retained the country’s interest rate at 27.50 percent.

The governor of CBN, Olayemi Cardoso, disclosed this in a press briefing on Tuesday after the 300th MPC meeting in Abuja.

“The committee unanimously agreed to retain MPR at 27.50 percent,” he stated.

Cardoso also announced that the MPC member decided to retain the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) at 50 basis points for commercial bank and 16 percent for mortgage bank, the liquidity ratio (LR) at 30 percent, and the asymmetric corridor at +500/-100 basis points around the MPR; other monetary policy decisions were retained.

He justified MPC’s decision to pause the rate hike on the easing of Nigeria’s inflation rate to 23.7 percent in April.

it would be recalled that last week the National Bureau of Statistics consumer price index showed that country’s inflation dropped by 23.7 percent.

In February, the MPC retained the country’s interest rate at 27.50 percent as inflation cooled off.

 

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Business & Economy

Renaissance Energy Completes Acquisition Of SPDC

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Renaissance Africa Energy has completed the “acquisition of the entire (100%)” equity holding in Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).

This is according to a statement on Thursday by the spokesman of Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings Tony Okonedo who said the acquisition was completed on the same day.

“This follows the signing of a sale and purchase agreement with Shell in January 2024, and obtaining all regulatory approvals required for the transaction. Going forward, SPDC will be renamed as ‘Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited,” the statement added.

“We are extremely proud to have completed this strategic acquisition. The Renaissance vision is to be ‘Africa’s leading oil and gas company, enabling energy security and industrialisation in a sustainable manner.’ We and our shareholder companies are therefore pleased that the Federal Government has given the green light for this milestone acquisition in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act,” said the Managing Director/CEO of Renaissance Tony Attah.

He added: “We extend our appreciation to the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources, the CEO of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the GCEO of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for their foresight and belief, paving the way for the rapid development of Nigeria’s vast oil and gas resources as a strategic accelerator for the country’s industrial development”.

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RENAISSANCE COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF SHELL PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY OF NIGERIA (SPDC)

Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings today announced that it has successfully completed the landmark transaction between itself and Shell for the acquisition of the entire (100%) equity holding in the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC). This follows the signing of a sale and purchase agreement with Shell in January 2024, and obtaining all regulatory approvals required for the transaction. Going forward, SPDC will be renamed as ‘Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited.

Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings is a consortium consisting of four successful Nigerian independent oil and gas companies: ND Western Limited, Aradel Holdings Plc. FIRST Exploration and Petroleum Development Company Limited and the Waltersmith Group, each with considerable operations experience in the Niger Delta, and Petrolin, an international energy company with global trading experience and a pan African outlook.

“We are extremely proud to have completed this strategic acquisition. The Renaissance vision is to be “Africa’s leading oil and gas company, enabling energy security and industrialisation in a sustainable manner.” We and our shareholder companies are therefore pleased that the Federal Government has given the green light for this milestone acquisition in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act” said Tony Attah, Managing Director/CEO of Renaissance who added that:

“We extend our appreciation to the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources, and the CEO of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the GCEO of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for their foresight and belief, paving the way for the rapid development of Nigeria’s vast oil and gas resources as strategic accelerator for the country’s industrial development”.

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