Governor of the Central Bank, Mr. Yemi Cardoso has stated that the naira is undervalued promising that in 2024, the bank will work towards real price discovery in the foreign exchange market.
Mr Cardoso stated this while delivering the keynote address at the Nigeria Economic Group outlook for 2024 via video conference.
According to Cardoso, the apex bank will execute inflation-taming policies through monetary policy instruments and collaboration with the fiscal side of the economy which is the Ministry of Finance.
He also promised to shrine discipline in the forex market and promptly address any infractions and abuses.
He stated,
- “We believe that the naira is currently undervalued, And coupled with coordinated measures on the fiscal side, we will expedite genuine price discovery in the near term. This coordinated approach will contribute to a more balanced and stable exchange rate”
The naira traded at N878.61 on the official market according to Nairametrics daily FX monitor yesterday but recorded N1360/$1 on the unofficial market.
Increasing the FX reserve
On increasing the FX reserves, Mr Cardoso stated that the bank’s partnership with the Ministry of Finance and NNPCL ensures all foreign exchange inflow is returned to the bank as it will result in the accretion of the country’s foreign reserve.
Taming inflation
The Governor also noted that the anticipated resumption of operations in the three refineries across the country will contribute to a reduction in the pump prices of PMS which is a major contributor to the CPI basket.
He also noted that the inflation outlook is geared towards increasing economic growth and a more predictive cost environment.
He stated, “Inflationary pressures are expected to decline in 2024 due to the CBN’s inflation-targeting policy, which aims to rein in inflation to 21.4%,”
- “The outlook for decreasing inflation in 2024 will have a profound impact on businesses, providing a more predictable cost environment and potentially leading to lower policy rates, stimulating investment, fueling growth, and creating job opportunities,”