The economy remained subdued in December as the Purchasing Manager’s Index was below 50.0 index points, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The CBN released in the reports of members of the Monetary Policy Committee member that the PMI, which is an index of the prevailing direction of economic trends in the manufacturing and service sectors was below average at 49.4 index points.
An MPC member, Adeola Festus, noted that the macroeconomic developments and outlook report presented by CBN staff showed mixed developments in the economy.
He said, “In addition, indicators of economic activity remained subdued in December 2022, month-on-month. Composite PMI at 49.4 index points was below 50.0 index points.
This was largely due to relatively low activities in the industrial and services sectors. The World Bank forecast Nigeria’s real GDP growth to decline to 2.9 per cent in 2023.
“The slow growth is because of the effects of flooding, the tight fiscal space and rise in borrowing costs, security challenges and moderation in oil prices.”
A member of the MPC, Ahmed Aliyu, said, on the domestic side, the positive growth recovery which commenced since the 2020 recession, was sustained, through Q3 2022.
