The continued reduction in the accretion to Nigeria’s foreign reserves, currently at $41.5 billion, and foreign portfolio investments (FPI) accounting for about $20 billion of this amount raises the risk perception about Nigeria’s economy, BusinessDay interaction with economy watchers has revealed.
“The over $20.0 billion of the total foreign reserves being inflow from FPIs calls for concern, in view of the gradual phase-out of the US Fed stimulus programme in 2014,” say Afrinvest analysts. “Based on this development, it becomes imminent that the ‘rented reserves’ may depart the country sooner than we anticipate.”
Consequently, any portfolio reversal as a result of the United States quantitative easing will leave the country with no option than to borrow, with the resultant effect of higher yields on the Federal Government bonds and, consequently, increase in the level of recurrent expenditure.
For instance, government interest on domestic debt has been on the increase, from N495.1 billion in 2011 to N559.5 billion in 2012, to N591.8 billion in 2013 with N712 billion projected for 2014, in addition to the N300 billion CBN interest on T-Bills and Open Market Operations (OMO).
Some other analysts argue that the sustenance of foreign reserves on portfolio investments or ‘hot money’ portends more vulnerability of the economy to the whims and caprices of investors who may take advantage of the opportunities provided by the easing in the US market to embark on reversals.
Doyin Salami, a member of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the CBN, said at a recent meeting of the committee that he sees the deterioration in foreign reserve position as a reflection of a slowdown in inflows from foreign portfolio investors (FPI), adding that “FPI inflows, at $19.182 billion in 2013, accounted for approximately 82 percent of capital importation in 2013”.
Afrinvest analysts further say that if this happens, and coupled with the reduction in the accretion of the foreign reserves, then the risk perception about Nigeria would rise drastically.
“In addition, the reserves ($21.5 billion, assuming it remains at present level) may cover below three months of imports (below global requirement). This would also increase the country risk premium placed on Nigeria, hence an increase in the yields on FGN bonds,” say Afrinvest analysts.
“This increase will raise the cost of borrowing to the government, further snowballing its re-current expenditure (over 65.0 percent in 2014). The country may also find it challenging to raise additional funds through Eurobonds and may be lured to raise the coupon to what is commensurate with perceived risks,” they add.
Samir Gadio, emerging markets analyst at Standard Bank, London, observed that the accumulation of FX reserves in 2012 and early 2013 was a function of increased portfolio inflows which subsequently dried up and even turned negative recently.
Gadio wondered why Nigeria has been unable to rebuild its fiscal buffers despite the robust oil price over the past few years, which appears to reflect a moderate drop in oil output, stressing that possible revenue leakages and prior to this, the fuel subsidy scam, could be responsible.
“On top of the regular budget augmentation disbursements, the ECA funds have also been shared among the three tiers of government to fund ‘people-oriented projects’, but there is little tangible investment to account for,” said Gadio.
Gadio sees this as a serious problem as, according to him, the balance of the ECA declined to a low of USD2.5 billion in January, which is less than 1 percent of GDP (vs a median of 65 percent of GDP among major oil producing countries).
“Should this trend persist,” he added, “Nigeria will remain vulnerable to long-run oil boom and bust cycles, and a potential prolonged decline in the oil price below the USD100 pbl level at some stage in the future would seriously threaten the country’s macroeconomic position.”
Uche Chibuike, a member of the MPC, at the recent committee meeting, observed that recent international developments had already ensured a slowdown in the inflow of such speculative capital.
“Despite this, I find it prudent to continue to express my concern about speculative capital. This is because the vulnerability of the value of our currency in recent times has at least in part been as a consequence of the unstable nature of such speculative FDI. The earlier we begin to discourage such capital flows, the better. While FDI is desirable, it only makes sense when it is invested in the real sectors of our economy,” he said.
Ganiu Garba, also a member of the MPC, at the recent meeting attributed the problem to a non-forward-looking and non-strategic management of oil and gas resources with the consequent inability to sustain inflows of forex revenue to support and sustain some of the economic buffers.
“A strategic and forward-looking management of oil and gas resources is critical to building the forex reserves required to support a stable currency,” Garba said.
By: John Omachonu
