Nigeria’s Inflation Rate Hits 33.20% As Naira Rebounds 

Nigeria’s inflation rate jumped to 33.20% in March 2024 compared to February 2024 headline inflation rate which was 31.70%. This was according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Monday. “Looking at the movement, the March 2024 headline inflation rate showed an increase of 1.50% points when compared to the February 2024 headline inflation rate,” said the NBS. “On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 11.16% points higher compared to the rate recorded in March 2023, which was 22.04%. “On a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in March 2024 was 3.02%, which was 0.10% lower than the rate recorded in February 2024 (3.12%). This means that in the month of March 2024, the rate of increase in the average price level is less than the rate of increase in the average price level in February 2024.” The inflation report by the NBS followed the hike of Nigeria’s interest rate from 22.75% to 24.75% by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Interestingly, the March inflation rate was released at a time when measures by the apex bank to strenghten the naira against foreign exchange have seen some positive results. The naira has appreciated against the dollar in recent weeks, gaining over 40%, from about N1,900/$ to about N1,100/$1 now. As the naira rebounds, Nigerians expect significant reduction in the prices of food and basic commodities but this hasn’t been the case with cost of living still high.

Just In: Nigeria’s Inflation Soars To 25.80% In August 2023 –NBS

Nigeria’s headline inflation rate jumped to 25.80 per cent in August 2023, relative to the July 2023 headline inflation rate which was 24.08 per cent, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said. According to the NBS in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for August 2023, there is a 1.72 percentage point increase when compared to the July 2023 headline inflation rate. On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 5.27% points higher compared to the rate recorded in August 2022, which was 20.52%. The NBS noted that food inflation for August rose to 29.34 per cent in August 2023, representing a 2.35 percentage point increase from 26.98 per cent recorded in the previous month. On a year-on-year basis, which was 6.22% points higher compared to the rate recorded in August 2022 (23.12%). According to the Statistics bureau, the increase was driven by increase in prices of Oil and fat, Bread and cereals, Fish, Fruit, Meat, Vegetables and Potatoes, Yam and other Tubers, Vegetable, Milk, Cheese and Eggs. “On a month-on-month basis, the Food inflation rate in August 2023 was 3.87%, this was 0.41% points higher compared to the rate recorded in July 2023 (3.45%). “The rise in Food inflation on a month-on-month basis was caused by increases in prices of Bread and cereals, Potatoes, Yam and other tubers, Fish, Oil and Fat, Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa. “The average annual rate of food inflation for the twelve months ending August 2023 over the previous twelve-month average was 25.01%, which was 5.99% points increase from the average annual rate of change recorded in August 2022 (19.02%),” the bureau said. The NBS further said that in August 2023, food inflation on a year-on-year basis was highest in Kogi (38.84%), Lagos (36.04%), and Kwara (35.33%), while Sokoto (20.09%), Nasarawa (24.35%) and Jigawa (24.53%) recorded the slowest rise in food inflation on a year-on-year basis. “On a month-on-month basis, however, August 2023 food inflation was highest in Rivers (7.12%), Kwara (5.89%), and Kogi (5.80%), while Sokoto (0.50%), Abuja (1.30%) and Niger (1.40%) recorded the slowest rise in Food inflation on a month-on-month basis,” the report revealed.