Current Account Balance and Economic Growth in Nigeria: An Empirical Investigation

G. K. Sanni (), Abdullahi Musa and Z. Sani ()
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G. K. Sanni: Central Bank of Nigeria
Z. Sani: Central Bank of Nigeria

Economic and Financial Review, 2019, vol. 57, issue 2

Abstract: This study examined the relationship between current account balance and economic growth in Nigeria. Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Bounds Testing methodology was employed to investigate the relationship, using annual data spanning from 1970 – 2016. The study found a long-run relationship between the current account balance, the real gross domestic product (GDP) growth and bilateral real exchange rate in Nigeria. The positive relationship between real GDP growth and the current account balance implies that increase in real GDP growth would lead to an improvement in the current account balance. However, the study found a negative relationship between real exchange rate and current account balance. Depreciation in the exchange rate would lead to the deterioration in the current account balance. This latter result has implications for the CBN’s exchange rate management strategy. Specifically, maintaining a stable exchange rate should continue to be a priority for the CBN given the debilitating effect of a depreciating exchange rate on the current account, and by extension, economic growth.

Keywords: Current Account Balance; Economic Growth; Open Economies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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