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Nigeria may be headed for another recession as economy slows in Q2 2018

Published

6 years ago

August 27, 2018

The Nigerian economy has slowed for the second consecutive quarter this year, raising fears the nation may soon be heading for another economic recession.

According to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday, the rate at which the nation’s economy grew in the second quarter of 2018 slowed to 1.50 percent from 1.95 percent recorded in previous quarter.

The GDP growth rate is the rate at which the value of all goods and services produced within a country’s border in a given period is rising.

Nigerian economy had officially slumped into recession in the second quarter of 2016 after recording negative GDP for two consecutive quarters, according to NBS.

Nigeria, which relies on crude oil for 70 percent for its revenue and over 90 percent for its export earnings, slumped into its worst economic woes since 1987 by recording five consecutive negative GDP growth rates from -0.67 percent in Q1 2016 to -0.91 percent in Q1 2017.

The nation’s annual growth rate turned positive in Q2 2017 with GDP growth rate of 0.72 percent and sustained the positive trajectory for five quarters till Q2 2018.

The economy would enter another recession when the GDP figures turn negative for two consecutive quarters.

The data indicated that the oil GDP contracted by -3.95 percent from 14.77 percent in Q1 2018, while non-oil GDP grew by 2.05 percent from 0.76 percent in Q1 2018.

Last week, the Statistician-General of NBS, Yemi Kale, had attributed the downturn to the clashes between farmers and herdsmen in some parts of the country.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had projected that the nation’s economy would grow from 0.8 percent in 2017 to 2.1 percent in 2018 and 2.3 percent in 2019 on the back of an improved outlook for oil prices.

According to the global monetary authority, the forecast “reflects improved prospects for Nigeria’s economy” and supported by the increase in commodity prices like crude oil.

With the GDP figures for the two quarters, the nation now has an average GDP of 1.73 percent for the first half of 2018.

Related Topics:GDP Gross domestic product National Bureau of Statistics NBS Nigeria Q2 2018

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Nigeria received $1bn tax income from Shell in 2023

Published

2 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Shell Nigeria, a multinational oil company, claims that through the operations of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company of Nigeria Limited, it exclusively paid $1.09 billion in corporate taxes and royalties to the Nigerian government in 2023.

According to the numbers released in the recently released 2023 Shell Briefing Notes, SNEPCo remitted $649 million, while the SPDC paid $442 million.

Similar payments made by the two firms in 2022 totalled $1.36 billion, according to a statement from Abimbola Essien-Nelson, the company’s manager of media relations.

“These payments are Shell exclusive and do not include those made by our partners,” said SPDC Managing Director and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor.

Okunbor explained, “Shell companies in Nigeria will continue to contribute to the country’s economic growth through the revenue we generate and the employment opportunities we create by supporting the development of local businesses.”

He continued by saying that Shell has been an investor in Nigeria for more than 60 years and that the Briefing Notes provide an update on the state of the companies’ operations in Nigeria for 2023, including SPDC, SNEPCo, Shell Nigeria Gas, and Daystar Power.

He claimed that the studies demonstrated how the businesses kept driving advancement, collaborating closely with communities and stakeholders to support socio-economic growth and offer more affordable, environmentally friendly energy options.

“It is important to emphasise that Shell is not leaving Nigeria and will remain a major partner of the country’s energy sector through its deep-water and integrated gas businesses. Our collective focus remains on delivery of safe operations and care for our people,” Okunbor maintained.

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Zimbabwe’s new gold-backed currency now official unit of exchange

Published

15 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Zimbabwe’s Treasury says that the newly introduced gold-backed currency is the official unit of exchange for transactions. It also stated on Tuesday that laws requiring businesses to utilize the official rate would be released soon.

The Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) has been stable on the official market since its inception in early April, but it has had a shaky start on the black market, where dealers are demanding a premium of 65% of the official rate to purchase dollars.

Additionally, some stores are charging customers who pay in the new currency—while the ZiG is being rejected by informal traders—a premium over the market rate, which is fixed at ZiG 13.6 per US dollar.

“To ensure orderly pricing, the Government will soon be introducing the necessary regulations to ensure that no exchange rate other than the official rate will be used for the pricing of all goods and services,” Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said in a statement.

Since the ZiG’s inception, the government has been working to keep it afloat; this month, officials launched a campaign against unlicensed foreign exchange dealers.

Zimbabwe, located in southern Africa, abandoned the Zim dollar last month after it lost 70% of its value since the beginning of the year. This is the country’s fourth effort to introduce a local currency in ten years.