Follow Us on Google
By Merit Ibe
The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), has restated the need for urgent measures to mitigate the soaring cost of living, escalating operating and production costs for businesses.
The Centre, which made the remark in its half year review, said it was laudable that the Tinubu administration is charting a new and positive course for the economy which portends bright prospects for recovery and growth. “Already there are clear indications of elevated investors confidence, improvement in the government fiscal space, higher prospects of exchange rate stability in the near term, and positive expectations of better economic governance.
“ The short to medium term outlook for forex liquidity is very good and prospects of increased inflow of capital is very bright.
Director of the centre, Dr Muda Yusuf, however emphasised that there was an urgent need to address the social outcomes of the recent reforms, especially the inflationary pressure induced by the fuel subsidy removal.
Yusuf said the inflationary pressures may intensify in the near term and the exchange rate may come under pressure in the short term as forex demand backlog exerts pressure on the official forex window. “But the pressure is expected to ease before the end of the year. This would pave way for an equilibrium exchange rate which would be more tolerable and sustainable.”
Yusuf opined that the CBN should put in place a sustainable intervention framework to moderate the volatility in the forex market, forecasting that with a better fiscal space, an improvement in the macroeconomic stability are very positive in the second half of the year.
“With a better fiscal space, the outlook for lower fiscal deficit, moderation in the growth of public debt, reduction in debt service burden and an improvement in the macroeconomic stability are very positive. All of these would impact on economic growth prospects in the second half of the year.
“The Tinubu administration needs to promptly deploy measures to mitigate the current headwinds inflicted by the current reforms.
“The interventions should be a mix of direct interventions, tax incentives for low-income employees and small businesses, reduction in import duty on some critical intermediate products for key sectors of the economy, import duty concessions for the transportation, health, power and energy sectors.
“The improved fiscal space created by the reforms should make these mitigating measures feasible and they have to be implemented urgently in order to give the current reforms a human face.”
Mail on Android
•
