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FG says that Nigeria now saves N45 billion monthly from TSA implementation
The FG has announced that Nigeria now saves about N45 billion monthly in interest payments, since the implementation of the TSA.
The Federal Government has announced that Nigeria is now saving about N45 billion monthly in interest payments, since the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA).
This disclosure was made by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, on the occasion of the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on TSA with the Republic of The Gambia in Abuja yesterday.
The Minister said that among other verifiable benefits, Nigeria could now easily determine its aggregate cash balance, which is critical for managing public finances at a time of acute fiscal constraints.
She stated, “On the monetary policy side, we have better control over the money supply and therefore able to rein in inflation and undue pressure on the Naira. Our foreign reserve position has also recorded appreciable improvement through the consolidation of the federal government foreign currency earnings under the TSA.’’
While speaking, Ahmed recalled the last visit by The Gambia in May 2019, when based on the recommendation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it paid a visit to Nigeria for a week-long study tour of TSA implementation.
According to her, “Following the successful conclusion of the tour, The Gambia requested for technical co-operation with Nigeria to support its own transition to TSA. To that aim, representatives of both countries worked on an MoU detailing the terms and scope of the co-operation.”
Going further, she said, “In a nutshell, the co-operation seeks to avail the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs of The Gambia of the vast knowledge, experience, and technical expertise that Nigeria has gained in the past 15 years of implementing TSA in particular and other public financial management (PFM) reforms in general. By so doing, The Gambia is properly guided as it implements its own TSA. The cooperation will enable The Gambia to leverage on the experience of Nigeria to build on our strengths while avoiding our mistakes.”
In her words, “We are happy to support The Gambia in their bid to implement TSA and other PFM reforms. We are also open to supporting other African countries who may want to build on our experience and significant progress in TSA implementation. It is our belief that African countries are better off learning from each other and supporting each other because of our shared culture and history.”
She pointed out that the importance of the synergy between the fiscal and monetary authorities cannot be overemphasized, in addition to the co-operation of other stakeholders, the parliament, the ministries, departments and agencies of government, the banks and service providers.
In their response, Ms Ada Gaye, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance of The Gambia, on behalf of the delegation, expressed their happiness to be in Nigeria to sign the MoU, saying that the tour has helped them to understand the workings of the TSA.
She said, “The Gambia wants to efficiently manage its funds, as the fragmentation of accounting systems in The Gambia is huge. It is, therefore, noteworthy for The Gambia to adopt TSA. We are going to create the needed sensitisation to help the people of The Gambia understand the process. Nigeria is the big brother, while The Gambia is the small brother. We are happy to cement this brotherly love.”
The Treasury Single Account which was proposed by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan and fully implemented by the Buhari administration, is a financial policy that seeks to consolidate all inflows from all agencies of government into a single account of the Central Bank of Nigeria
Business
CBN’s Emefiele vows to reject the continuous importation of maize in Nigeria
The CBN has said that it will oppose all attempts to continue the importation of maize into the country.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said that it will oppose all attempts to continue the importation of maize into the country.
This is geared towards encouraging local production as the apex bank believes that maize farmers in Nigeria have what it takes to close the maize demand gap of over 4.5 million metric tonnes in the country.
This was made known by the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele while speaking in Katsina on Thursday during the unveiling of the first maize pyramid and inauguration of the 2021 maize wet season farming under the CBN-Maize Association of Nigeria Anchor Borrowers’ Programme.
READ: Nigeria must eat what we produce, agriculture is the way out – Buhari
Emefiele said, “With over 50,000 bags of maize available on this ground, and others aggregated across the country, maize farmers are sending a resounding message that we can grow enough maize to meet the country’s demand.’’
He explained that the maize unveiled at the ceremony would be sold to reputable feed processors adding that this would in turn impact positively on current poultry feed prices, as over 60% of maize produced in the country were used for producing poultry feed.
Emefiele said that the apex bank was ready to provide support to the youths that are willing to engage in agriculture and encouraged them to embrace agriculture.
READ: Nigeria secures $1.2 billion loan from Brazil for agriculture modernization
Speaking at the event, the Katsina State Governor, Bello Masari, said the state had suffered a setback in agriculture as over 60,000 hectares of farmlands were uncultivated due to insurgency, which hindered farmers from gaining access to their means of livelihood.
On his part, President Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by the Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, while unveiling the pyramids, reassured the farmers, processors and other value chain participants, of the support of government towards ensuring that they perform optimally.
What you should know
It can be recalled that in July 2020, the CBN included maize importation to its list of 41 items banned from assessing forex at the official market as it directed all banks/authorised dealers to immediately discontinue the processing of Forms M for maize/corn importation into the country.
The apex bank in its circular said that this measure is aimed at increasing local production of the commodity, stimulating a rapid economic recovery, safeguarding rural livelihoods and increasing jobs.
Business
FG releases N29.1 billion advance for deployment of Covid-19 vaccines
The FG has announced the release of N29.1 billion to the NPHCDA as an advance for the operational cost of deployment of the Covid-19 vaccines.
The Federal Government has announced the release of N29.1 billion to the National Primary Health Development Agency (NPHCDA) as an advance for the operational cost of deployment of the Covid-19 vaccines.
This is as the government has expressed its commitment to procuring 29.588 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine through the AVAT initiative, coordinated by AFREXIMBank,
This disclosure was made by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed while speaking at ‘Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative (CABRI) General Assembly webinar on Friday.
What the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning is saying
Ahmed in her statement said, “Therefore, the supplementary budget for COVID-19 vaccines will cover the cost of additional vaccines over and above those provided by COVAX, as well as the full cost of operations and logistics for delivering the vaccines around the country.
“Already, the sum of N29.1bn has been released from the Routine Immunization budgetary provision (Service Wide Vote) to the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) as an advance for the operational cost of deployment of the COVID-19 vaccines. The N29.1bn represents about 52 percent of the amount required over 2021-22”, she said.
Mrs Ahmed stated at the 18th General Assembly of CABRI that the World Bank has indicated willingness to provide needed facilities in support of the country’s Covid-19 vaccination plan.
Considering key elements of Nigeria’s vaccine financing strategy, she said that the government is working on a supplementary budget to provide for the cost of vaccine procurement and delivery
She said, “The Federal Ministry of Health plans to vaccinate 70 per cent of eligible (18 years and above) Nigerians over the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years.”
She noted that the nation has received commitments from COVAX for Covid-19 vaccines that could cover 43.1 million of the eligible population, as donations from some development partners.
On the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the oil price crash on the Nigerian economy, she noted that prior to the pandemic, implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017-20, prudent resource management and fiscal policy implementation had resulted in 11 consecutive quarters of GDP growth, with GDP growth rising from 1.91% in 2018 to 2.27% in 2019.
Mrs Ahmed also noted that “the government had begun the process of moving our economy away from its primary dependence on oil for revenues and foreign exchange, and we’re making steady gains in addressing infrastructure and human capital challenges.”
“FGN is committed to procuring 29.588m doses of Johnson & Johnson #vaccine through the AVAT initiative, coordinated by @afreximbank”- HM @ZShamsuna speaking recently at ‘Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative (CABRI) General Assembly webinar.
Via: https://t.co/fOZyCt4zbh pic.twitter.com/doVtMQLWpG
— Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning (@FinMinNigeria) May 7, 2021
