The World Bank has reported that inflation has pushed seven million Nigerians below the poverty line in 2020.
The latest World Bank Nigeria Development Update (NDU) noted that “in 2020 the Nigerian economy experienced a shallower contraction of -1.8 percent than had been projected at the beginning of the pandemic (-3.2%). Although the economy started to grow again, prices are increasing rapidly, severely impacting Nigerian households.”
As a result of this development, rising prices the World Bank said: “have pushed an estimated seven million Nigerians below the poverty line in 2020 alone.”
It said food prices accounted for over 60% of the total increase in inflation.
This edition of the Nigeria Development Update proposes near-term policy option organized around three priority objectives: reduce inflation by implementing policies that support macroeconomic stability, inclusive growth, and job creation; protect poor households from the impacts of inflation, and facilitate access to financing for small and medium enterprises in key sectors to mitigate the effects of inflation and accelerate the recovery.
“Given the urgency to reduce inflation amidst the pandemic, a policy consensus and expedite reform implementation on exchange-rate management, monetary policy, trade policy, fiscal policy, and social protection would help save lives, protect livelihoods, and ensure a faster and sustained recovery,” said Marco Hernandez, the World Bank Lead Economist for Nigeria and co-author of the report.
The report acknowledged “notable government’s policy reforms aimed at mitigating the impact of the crisis and supporting the recovery; including steps taken towards reducing petrol subsidies and adjusting electricity tariffs towards more cost-reflective levels, both aimed at expanding the fiscal space for pro-poor spending.”
In addition, the report said both the Federal and State governments cut nonessential spending and redirected resources towards the COVID-19 response.
Also, public-sector transparency has improved, in particular around the operations of the oil and gas sector.
The report, however, notes that despite the more favorable external environment, with recovering oil prices and growth in advanced economies, a failure to sustain and deepen reforms would threaten both macroeconomic sustainability and policy credibility, thereby limiting the government’s ability to address gaps in human and physical capital which is needed to attract private investment.
“Nigeria faces interlinked challenges in relation to inflation, limited job opportunities, and insecurity,” said Shubham Chaudhuri, the World Bank Country Director for Nigeria.
Credit: The Nation