Business

CBN: Naira fell by 51.5% against dollar in 12 months under Cardoso

Nigeria’s currency, the Naira depreciated by 51.5 percent against the dollar at the official market in the last year under Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, governor, Olayemi Cardoso.

 

This comes as Cardoso clocked a year in office after his appointment on September 15, 2023.

 

The performance of the Naira against the dollar in the foreign exchange market is far from impress despite multiple interventions by the Cardoso-led CBN.

 

This comes as data from the FMDQ showed that the Naira dropped from N1,541.52 per dollar on 22 September 2024 from N747.76 recorded in the corresponding period last year.

 

In the period, the Monetary Policy Committee, MPC, led by Cardoso raised the monetary policy rate (MPR) four times to 26.75 percent to combat inflation, which stood at 32.15 percent in August 2024.

 

The MPC is currently meeting to decide on whether to hike interest or pause the increase.

 

Meanwhile, in the last months, CBN showed that the country’s external reserves hit a 22-month high of $37.39 billion as of September 19, 2024.

 

Despite, the policies orchestrated by the Cardoso-led CBN, Nigerians have continued to groan over harsh economic realities occasioned by high prices of food and spiralling energy costs.