The Nigerian government is working towards reversing the declining trend in the country’s economy, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Development, Zainab Ahmed, has said.
Responding to the latest gross domestic product figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics, which showed Nigeria is now in its second recession in five years, Mrs Ahmed said the economy would be restored in the path of sustainable inclusive growth in no time using the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan that is being implemented.
On Saturday, the NBS officially announced that the nation has entered into recession as its GDP recorded negative growth of 3.62 percent in the third quarter of 2020.
Speaking at a two-day annual event organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning will be on the theme, ‘Building Partnerships for Resilience, the minister said “The administration is fully aware of the current economic situation and is working round the clock to reverse the trend and restore the economy in the path of sustainable inclusive growth.
[b]“For the three quarters combined for 2020, aggregate GDP decline is now 2.60 percent, this is a clear signal that the Nigerian economy is improving, that there are economic activities that are being better,�she said.
She said the negative growth of 3.62 per cent in the third quarter of 2020 is much better than the -6.01 per cent earlier forecasted by the NBS.
“Let me remind you that before the impact of COVID-19 the Nigerian economy was experiencing sustained growth which has been improving quarter by quarter for 3 years until the 2nd quarter of 2020 when the impact of the covid 19 was felt.
“Despite the recession, Nigeria has outperformed many economies in terms of economic growth.
“Though the economy has entered into a recession in the third quarter, a trend of the growth suggests that this will be a short-lived recession and indeed by the fourth quarter or at worst by the first quarter of 2021, the country will exit recession.
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