Cape Times

Nigerians approve massive budget to help boost economic growth

- David Malingha Doya and Solape Renner

NIGERIAN legislator­s approved a 2018 budget of 9.1 trillion naira (R312 billion), its biggest yet, to help boost economic growth less than a year before general elections. The Senate voted to increase spending plans by more than a fifth from the previous year, according to proceeding­s led by chamber President Bukola Saraki on Wednesday. The House of Representa­tives, the National Assembly’s lower chamber, also approved the plans.

The bill comes six months after being presented to lawmakers by President Muhammadu Buhari and is 5.8 percent more than the 8.6trln naira budget proposed in November.

The legislator­s also increased the oil-benchmark price for the budget to $51 (R637.30) a barrel from $45 proposed by Buhari, on the assumption of crude output of 2.3 million barrels daily and an exchange rate of 305 naira a dollar.

Africa’s most-populous nation and biggest oil producer wants to boost economic expansion to about 3.5 percent this year, partly by investing almost a third of the budget in roads, rail, ports and power.

Recovery Last year, the economy staged a fragile recovery after contractin­g in 2016 for the first time in a quarter century.

The plan includes recurrent expenditur­e of 3.5trln naira, capital spending of 2.8trln naira and debt service of 2.2trln naira. The fiscal deficit is forecast at 1.9trln naira, or 1.73 percent of GDP. Buhari will have to sign his approval for the budget to become law.

It’s important for the administra­tion to continue to boost spending on infrastruc­ture, because that’s what will help the ruling party to win the next election scheduled for February, Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun said in a January interview. Buhari said he would seek another term.

While fiscal expansion could spur growth, it might increase inflationa­ry pressures, according to economists, including Razia Khan at Standard Chartered Bank.

That may limit room for the central bank to cut its key interest rate from a record 14 percent, where it’s been since July 2016 to curb high inflation. Annual price growth slowed to 12.5 percent in May, the lowest rate since March 2016. The bulk of the budget deficit will be funded by 1.7trln naira of borrowing. – Bloomberg

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