By Ocheneyi Alli

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) says that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had better “think out of the box,” as its  increased monetary policy rate to reduce inflation has failed.

MAN, therefore , urges the apex bank to seek recommendations from the private sector, and  civil society organizations on how best to bring the rising inflation in the economy under control.

In a statement, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, Director – General of MAN, notes that the CBN increased the monetary policy rate in July.

” The apex bank’s effort was aimed at arresting the soaring inflation and defending the Naira that has continued to drop in value both at the official and parallel markets.

The increase of MPR by 25 basis points in July brought the interest rate to 18.75 percent.

Within a span of one year, CBB has raised the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) by 750 basis points from its April 2022 level of11.5 percent,” he said .

▪︎Ten African Countries Where Inflation Improves ( January- July, 2023).Source: Trading Economics.com

As reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in July 2023, Nigeria experienced a surge in inflation, with the rate reaching a new 18-year high of 24.08 percent.

This marks an increase of 1.29 percent from the previous month’s rate of 22.79 percent.

It’s important to note that addressing inflation is a complex and long-term endeavor that requires a coordinated effort from various stakeholders, including the government, central bank, private sector, and civil society.

He believes that the combination of  recommendations from the stakeholders, can help mitigate inflationary pressures and promote sustained economic growth,” he said.

Over the course of a year, the inflation rate had risen by 4.44 percentage starting from 19.64 percent in July 2022.

Specifically focusing on food, the 2023 inflation rate increased to 26.98 percent in July from 25.25 recorded in June.

In comparison to July 2022, the year-on-year food inflation rate was 4.97 percentage points higher.

The increased food prices were attributed to planting season and logistic costs as impact of fuel subsidy removal took its full course.

Notably, the most substantial price increases were observed in gas, air passenger transport, liquid fuel, vehicle spare parts, and fuels, lubricants for personal transport equipment, medical services, and road passenger transport.

In the same vein, the core inflation also moved up from 20.06 in June to 20.47 percent in July.

There was a 4.41 percent increase in the core inflation over the period of one year, from 16.06 percent in July of 2022.

The continued surge in sub-indices of inflation show that Nigeria’s inflation is more than transient but structural in nature.