In what is a clear indication of the effectiveness of the economic policies of the Buhari presidency, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures recorded a marked improvement in the fourth quarter of 2018.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, the GDP figure for the last quarter in 2018 is 2.38 per cent, reflecting continuous growth.

In a statement released in response to the new GDP figure by the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters, Dr. Adeyemi Dipeolu, “The latest figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics, 2.38 per cent for the fourth Quarter (Q4), 2018 show an appreciable improvement in the growth performance of the economy. The figures are encouraging in several respects.

Notably, the growth recorded in the fourth quarter of 2018 (Q4 2018) was higher than both the growth of 1.81% in Q3 2018 and in the corresponding fourth quarter of 2017.  Indeed, quarter-on-quarter growth from Q3 2018 to Q4 2018 was 5.31%, which signals a great potential for a higher annual growth rate.

In annual terms, the growth rate more than doubled in 2018, rising to 1.93% as compared to 0.82% in 2017, again reflecting the strong momentum of growth.

Also notable is the fact that growth in Q4 2018, and indeed for the whole year, owed a great deal to the performance of the non-oil sector. The non-oil sector grew at 2.7% in Q4 2018 as compared to 1.14% in the oil sector. The non-oil sector also grew by 2% in the whole year 2018 which was considerably better than its growth in the whole of 2017, which was 0.47%.  The share of the non-oil sector in GDP was 92.94% while the oil sector contributed 7.06%.

With the maintenance of this trend, the economic diversification objectives of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan are well on their way to being met.

It was encouraging that agriculture which accounts for 26.15% of total GDP grew by 2.46% in Q4 2018, while manufacturing grew by 2.09%.  The service sector which accounts for 53.62% of GDP registered its strongest growth performance in 11 quarters.

Transport and storage, as well and information and communication, were particularly notable growing at 13.91% and 9.65% in the whole of 2018. This owes a lot to the investments that are being made in roads and rail as well as in broadband infrastructure.

The NBS figures also show that 39 out of 46 economic activities recorded growth in Q4 2018 which shows that growth across sectors is becoming more mutually reinforcing.

This growth is consistent with the policies and principles of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) relating to macroeconomic stability and economic diversification.  When better economic fundamentals like lower inflation rates, increased foreign reserves, a more stable exchange rate and increased capital inflows are taken together with increased investments in the real sector, infrastructure, the social sector and business environment; it portends well for economic performance in 2019 and beyond.

“Indeed, the economy remains well on course to grow by 3% in 2019 as estimated in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework.”

The Buhari administration will continue to pursue the ERGP diligently and Nigerians can expect that economic conditions will continue to get better even as we move on to the Next Level.