Opinion

Nigeria: Reasons to expect some policy liberalisation

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Structural factors, recent news and upcoming events give reason to believe that Nigeria is about to take a liberal turn on policy. The most important structural factors are the catastrophic state of public finances and the naira’s unsustainable strength on the official currency market. Important recent news has included President Muhammadu Buhari’s sacking of the governing bodies of a number of federal agencies and parastatals, and the recommendations of Ahmed Joda’s transition committee. And the main event is the president’s current visit to the US, and his meetings with top US officials in Washington.