Endless Tales of a Hapless Economy

Crusoe Osagie writes that with 2016 gone and 2017 finally here, all indicators seem to point towards the fact that the economic recession will last through the year

The Nigerian economy is smoldering. Much as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will have us believe that import substitution policies it has implemented has led to reduced importation and boosted non-oil export earnings, it may not be entirely correct.

Apart from rice, for which the CBN anchor borrowers programme is starting to yield some results, with the likes of Lagos State Government and Kebbi state government introducing the amazing LAKE rice to the market during the yuletide, much of the other efforts are still undergoing implementation.
Experts know that it takes some effort to find space for commodities in the export market. Many Nigerians wrongly think that the export market is just there waiting for Nigerian goods to come and grab.

Rather, the case actually is that the export market is a slugfest. For most commodities and products, to find space in the export market you have to displace existing products or share market with them.

Unfortunately, Nigeria’s socio-economic and infrastructural condition makes it extremely challenging for our products to compete well internationally. Power supply is hardly adequate, roads are in a very pitiable state, railway is at a rudimentary stage, municipal water is nowhere to be found, security has to be by self-help, the list is endless.

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has repeatedly stated that goods produced in Nigeria suffer a 30 per cent cost disadvantage compared to similar products made in other countries within the sub-region, let alone those that come from first-world countries such as China, Germany, United Kingdom and the United States, among others.

So, to state that Nigeria has significantly enhanced its export earning in a little over a year on the back of some import substitution policies, so much so that it leads to a boost in the country’s foreign reserves is, at best, misleading.

Yes, Nigeria’s international trade deficit position may have improved significantly in the past 12 months, but it is not necessarily due to the fact that the country is producing much more than it has produced in the past but more because importation has declined due to the dearth of forex.

There has been a severe structural adjustment in the country. Most Nigerians have had to learn to cut down on luxury items or learn to do without them entirely.
Furniture, confectioneries, wines and spirits, perfumes, time pieces, mobile phones and vehicles among many others goods of foreign origin have witnessed unprecedented reduction in patronage.
Most of our brothers from the eastern part of the country, who will normally purchase a new vehicle each year to go home for the yuletide celebration, could not afford to do that this time. A large number of them living in Lagos and other parts of the country, could not even fulfill the annual ritual of travelling to the village. This means a lot less gasoline and diesel, which are imported products, were consumed in the past Yuletide.

Also, it has been some time since many witnessed chief executives of luxury international brand such as Moet Hennessey, Hublot, Patek Philippe and otherssingling Nigeria out for special visit and commendation for patronage. This used to happen fairly frequently in the past.
So, clearly, Nigeria is importing far less, but it is not producing much, which makes the economy stagnant at best.

LCCI Comments on Economy
Giving his view of the state of the economy, the Director General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Muda Yusuf, said perhaps the major challenge facing the Nigerian economy at this time is the inability to regain the confidence of investors, both local and foreign.

According to Yusuf, it is regrettable that the instability and inconsistency in the foreign exchange management policy have been complicating matters.
He noted that the economy has a major structural defect of being heavily import dependent which he said cannot be fixed in the short term.
He stated therefore, that the shocks arising from the collapse of oil price and the corresponding depreciation in the naira exchange rate were inevitable but added that the policy responses could make a whole lot of difference in the profundity of the impacts of these shocks on the economy and the citizens.

“Historically, autonomous supply of foreign exchange had been higher than the CBN supply. But this has virtually dried up because of the collapse of investors’ confidence. Of course, the plunge in crude oil price was a major causal factor. But perhaps the bigger issue is the unstable and inconsistent foreign exchange policy which has continued to create uncertainty in the forex market, thus deepening the liquidity problems.

“For an economy that is in fragile mode, and for an economy that is highly exchange rate sensitive, policy actions and pronouncements that could impact the market should be done with utmost caution and care. This is imperative to avoid unintended consequences which may hurt the economy in very profound ways. Such is the recent suspension of nine banks from the forex market. These are shocks that the economy can ill afford at this time. It is right to penalise banks for proven infractions, but this should done in a way to minimise collateral effects on investors and the larger economy, given the high sensitivity of the economy to developments in the foreign exchange market. This is even more so at a time when the economy is grappling with a major confidence issue in the forex market. There should be more creative and less disruptive ways of imposing such sanctions. Many innocent investors and citizens are already bearing the brunt of this action given the unprecedented hike in naira exchange rate. Ongoing forex transactions in the affected banks have been stalled with serious consequences for investors,” Yusuf said.

LCCI identifies another risk
A second major policy development that could pose a risk to the stability and transparency of the foreign exchange market is the recent policy on sectoral allocation of foreign exchange. The CBN circular did not indicate any HS Code to properly define what would qualify as raw materials and machineries. The first concern will be that of definition. The result of this will be discretionary interpretation by the banks as what qualifies as raw materials and machineries.
The second major concern is the potential crowding out of other sectors in the forex market. Sectors outside the manufacturing sector account for over 85 per cent of the country’s GDP and jobs in the economy. They all have varying import contents in their operations. Therefore, if a minimum of 60 per cent of all forex allocation goes to manufacturing for raw materials and machineries, what happens to other sectors? Currently, petroleum products imports are priority and could take another 25 per cent of foreign exchange. This implies that the rest of the sectors would settle for the balance of 15 per cent. This is clearly not a sustainable framework.

It is important to recognise the interdependence of sectors and the integrated nature of the economy. All sectors complement one another for the economy to function properly. This is not to diminish the critical importance of the manufacturing in the economy. But we should realise that other sectors play important roles as well. Such other sectors include ICT, telecoms, real estate, transportation, aviation, maritime, tourism, hospitality, entertainment, agriculture, distributive trade, health services, education services, broadcasting, print media, solid minerals, engineering and construction etc. There are also very important invisibles that will require foreign exchange. The sustainability of the forex sectoral allocation policy is in doubt. It could only create more confusion in the foreign exchange market.

Fiscal policy measures are better suited to address sectoral imbalances than monetary policy. Such policy tools include import tariffs, taxation and other incentives. Above all, there is need to upscale infrastructure investments very urgently. These are the more effective ways to fix the structural problems of the economy than monetary policy. What is key for monetary authorities is to ensure that financial markets are efficient and transparent; and to ensure that there is discipline among players.

This is the time to seek quick wins. One of the quick wins is to review current trade policy measures in order to reduce the pressure of cost on investors and citizens. The exchange rate depreciation has an inherent structural correction effects on the economy. It naturally rewards inward looking initiatives and resource based enterprises. It is too much of a shock on the economy to combine high import duty regimes with a weak and rapidly depreciating currency.

Conversion of import values at current exchange rates for purposes of computation of import duty and other port charges have escalated costs beyond measure and had paralysed many businesses.
The burden of cost and inflation has become unbearable, which is what the economy is experiencing at the moment. The poverty situation has also aggravated. The proposition here is to moderate the inflationary pressures and ease poverty conditions by reviewing import duty regimes and the various trade facilitation issues at the nation’s ports. This could be done without undermining current economic diversification drive.

There should be a more effective oversight over the terminal operators and shipping companies to curb unfair charges on imports and exports made possible by the several monopoly structures in the maritime sector.

Ensuring a balance between the interests of investors, producers, consumers and the welfare of citizens is a strategic imperative at this time.