By Ayo Kehinde The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged the Nigerian government to provide targeted and temporary cash transfers to vulnerable households to cushion the impact of rising food and energy prices and tackle persistent poverty. Deniz Igan, Chief of the World Economic Studies Division in the IMF’s Research Department, gave the recommendation while responding to questions on Nigeria during the presentation of the World Economic Outlook at the ongoing IMF and World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand. Igan noted that although Nigeria’s economic growth had remained relatively resilient, partly because of its status as an energy exporter, high poverty levels continued to pose a significant challenge. She said policymakers needed to balance immediate concerns about inflation …
Read More

The Dangote Group has warned that a strong US dollar, high global interest rates and rising external debt are threatening development spending across Africa, as governments face increasing pressure to service foreign obligations while financing infrastructure and essential public services. The warning was contained in the group’s first-half 2026 Economic Report, which identified tight external financing conditions as a major risk to the continent’s economic outlook despite continued resilience in economic activity. According to the report, countries with substantial external debt and large energy import bills are particularly exposed to currency instability, rising borrowing costs and higher import expenses. The combination could force governments to allocate more resources to debt servicing, leaving less funding available for infrastructure, social services and …
Read More