The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has expressed concern over Nigeria’s implementation of social measures intended to cushion the adverse effects of the removal of fuel subsidies and the unification of foreign exchange rate.
According to the IMF, these efforts are unfolding too slowly, leaving Nigerian citizens struggling with high living costs as the economy grapples with inflation and other fallouts of the reforms.
While the IMF had long advised Nigeria to eliminate what it terms “costly fuel subsidies” and unify the naira’s exchange rate, it now acknowledges the toll these changes are taking on the nation’s poorest.
“We welcome those reforms, while also recognising that they have entailed quite a lot of internal adjustment costs,” said Abebe Aemro Selassie, director of the IMF’s African Department, during a press conference on the IMF Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Economic Outlook at the IMF/World Bank annual meetings in Washington, D.C. on Friday.
Selassie emphasised that a more robust approach could have been adopted to shield the most vulnerable. “A better job can be done by rolling out social protection, particularly for the most vulnerable,” he stated, in response to a BusinessDay question.
Acknowledging the impact of these reforms on everyday Nigerians, he added, “The immediate effect of reforms always causes dislocation. We have absolutely, absolutely no doubt that conditions at the moment are extremely difficult. Food price shocks in recent years have been quite acute, and now rising fuel prices are adding pressure on other essential goods.”
The IMF director emphasised the importance of channeling savings from subsidy removals and exchange rate reforms to aid lower-income households. “Some of the savings from the fuel subsidy reforms, the exchange rate subsidy being removed, should, in our view, be directed to helping cushion the effect on the most low-level households,” he urged, pointing to the need for targeted social assistance as Nigerians adjust to the economic shifts.
Responding to the perception that current hardships stem from IMF-recommended reforms, Selassie explained that Nigeria’s economic challenges are deep-rooted and not solely attributable to recent changes. “When subsidies were significant and the exchange rate was being kept artificially low, other imbalances were present in the economy, including high inflation and dwindling reserves,” he said. According to Selassie, these factors had eroded the government’s ability to invest in critical sectors like health and education, which were deprived of funds while subsidies continued to drain public resources. “It wasn’t sustainable, and the pressures being felt were affecting health and education, resulting in pain elsewhere,” he added.
He clarified that despite the tough choices Nigerian policymakers face, the IMF’s recommendations are intended to foster long-term stability, noting, “The goal is to achieve a healthy macroeconomic situation that supports growth, resource diversification, and essential social investments.”
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