Business
Why Nigeria Needs To Balance Foreign Investment With Local Growth – KPMG
KPMG, a professional services company, has said Nigeria needs to strike a balance between attracting foreign capital and promoting domestic development through policies that encourage foreign investment while also fostering a conducive environment for local businesses to thrive.
The firm said in its flashnotes released on January 4, 2024, that capital importation figures show a continuous quarterly decline suggesting persistent challenges to investor confidence in the Nigerian economy.
“While there is an urgent need to restore external investor confidence, Nigeria needs to strike a balance between attracting foreign capital and promoting domestic development (thereby reducing its reliance on foreign capital),” KPMG said.
KPMG attributed the drop in capital importation to Nigeria in the third quarter of 2023, after an initial rise in the second quarter of 2023, to continuing negative market sentiments on the country despite initial reforms being viewed positively.
“Recent persistent dominance of trade credits, loans, and related forms of short-term capital inflows with portfolio and especially foreign direct investment is a major concern,” it said.
It stated that Nigeria’s need for macroeconomic stability, the negative interest rate environment, the wide FX gap with low and declining forex reserves, and the need for greater clarity with respect to monetary and fiscal direction have dampened external sentiments.
KPMG said the exit of multinational companies like GlaxoSmithKline and Procter & Gamithbles (P&G) who have discontinued on-ground operations and adopted import and distributor-led business models have also dampened external sentiments.
“The fact that trade credit, loans, and related forms of capital inflows now overly dominate capital importation is a concern given their short-term nature,” it said.
“Portfolio investment which includes investments in financial assets such as stocks, bonds, and other securities has also been on a decline since Q1 2023 from $649.28 million to $87.11 million in Q3 2023 exposing the economy to risks of foreign exchange illiquidity and currency depreciation.
Also, pressure on consumer price inflation, reduced purchasing power, slower economic growth (3.75 percent target for 2024), lower job creation (especially from persistent reduction iFDI), and overall macroeconomic instability,” it said.
KPMG stated that it also makes the economy more vulnerable to global economic shocks which is especially concerning given the current global poly-crisis.
“Reduced foreign capital inflows limit access to much-needed external funding for infrastructure projects, technological advancements and other development initiatives without which the cost of doing business, and attractiveness of investment opportunities worsen and further hinder the country’s ability to compete globally.
“Despite the well-recognized potential of the Nigerian environment, investors are nevertheless reluctant to invest or remain in a country where they anticipate challenges related to infrastructure, logistics, connectivity, and operational efficiency,” KPMG stated.
KPMG said investors seek stability and predictability in the business environment, and the lack thereof hampers capital inflows.
It said there is an urgent need to reverse this trend and restore investors’ confidence in the Nigerian economy by intensifying ongoing efforts to create a stable and enabling macroeconomic environment and implementing consistent and investor-friendly policies.
It added that Nigeria can reverse the trend by improving infrastructure, strengthening the competitiveness of macroeconomic fundamentals, and eliminating structural and regulatory bottlenecks impeding the inflow and outflow of capital.
KPMG stated that restoring investors’ confidence in the Nigerian economy requires concerted efforts from
the Nigerian government and relevant stakeholders.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has announced the appointment of a new eight -man Senior Management Team.
The appointment followed the recent announcement followed the appointment of the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) and Board of Directors.
Disclosing this in a statement on Friday, NNPCL Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, said the appointments all take immediate effect.
“Following the appointment of the Group Chief Executive Officer and Board of Directors, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has announced the appointment of a new 8-man Senior Management Team on Friday,” he stated.
“The team which will be headed by the GCEO, Mr Bashir Bayo Ojulari, has Rowland Ewubare as Group Chief Operating Officer; Adedapo Segun as Group Chief Financial Officer; and Olalekan Ogunleye as Executive Vice President Gas, Power & New Energy.
“Other members of the team are: Udy Ntia as Executive Vice President Upstream; Mumuni Dangazau as Executive Vice President Downstream; Sophia Mbakwe as Executive Vice President Business Services; and Adesua Dozie, as Company Secretary & Chief Legal Officer. All appointments are with immediate effect.”
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director-generaI of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), says the recent tariffs announced by the United States (US) will have significant implications for global trade and economic growth prospects.
On April 2, President Donald Trump announced sweeping global tariffs on all imports into the US, imposing 14 percent on Nigeria.
In a statement on Thursday, Okonjo-Iweala said the WTO secretariat is closely monitoring and analysing the measures announced by the nation.
The WTO DG said many members have “reached out to us”, adding that the secretariat is actively engaging with them in response to their questions about the potential effect on their economies and the global trading system.
“The recent announcements will have substantial implications for global trade and economic growth prospects,” the economist said.
“While the situation is rapidly evolving, our initial estimates suggest that these measures, coupled with those introduced since the beginning of the year, could lead to an overall contraction of around 1% in global merchandise trade volumes this year, representing a downward revision of nearly four percentage points from previous projections.”
Okonjo-Iweala expressed concern over the decline and the potential for escalation into a tariff war with a cycle of retaliatory measures that could lead to further declines in trade.
“It is important to remember that, despite these new measures, the vast majority of global trade still flows under the WTO’s Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) terms,” she said.
“Our estimates now indicate that this share currently stands at 74%, down from around 80% at the beginning of the year. WTO members must stand together to safeguard these gains.”
According to the WTO DG, trade measures of this size have the potential to create significant trade diversion effects.
Therefore, she called on members to “manage the resulting pressures responsibly to prevent trade tensions from proliferating”.
“The WTO was established to serve precisely in moments like this — as a platform for dialogue, to prevent trade conflicts from escalating, and to support an open and predictable trading environment,” Okonjo-Iweala said.
She encouraged members to utilise the forum to engage constructively and seek cooperative solutions.
By Abubakar Yunusa
The Association of Labour Veteran and Trade Union Assembly has voiced its support for President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, claiming that food prices have significantly decreased across the country.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the union’s interim president, Comrade Isa Tijjani, acknowledged the initial economic hardship faced by Nigerians at the beginning of Tinubu’s administration but insisted that government efforts had led to tangible improvements.
“At the start of this administration, the cost of food soared, and the nation was filled with cries of hunger and complaints. People were urged to be patient as the government worked towards solutions,” Tijjani said.
“Now, the President and his aides have worked tirelessly, and prices have come down drastically. However, I have yet to hear words of appreciation for their efforts. Recognising their achievements will encourage them to do even more for the nation.”
Tijjani, a former national vice-president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, urged Nigerians to differentiate between constructive criticism and unwarranted opposition.
He emphasised that engaging with the government in a respectful and solution-oriented manner would yield better results than resorting to hostility.
“The President of this country today is Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Advising him in a humble and respectful manner will be more productive than adopting a confrontational stance. Constructive engagement achieves more than threats and name-calling,” he added.
Tijjani also condemned the recent act of violence in Edo State, describing it as a cowardly attempt to incite division and instability in Nigeria.
He welcomed the swift response of both the President and the Governor of Edo State in addressing the situation and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
The labour leader further urged union members to participate in the upcoming General Executive Council meeting, where the union’s position on national issues will be formalised and disseminated at all levels of governance, from the state to the local and ward levels.
The Tinubu administration has faced criticism over the country’s economic challenges, including inflation and currency depreciation. However, government officials have maintained that their policies will yield long-term benefits for Nigeria’s economy.