1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Nigeria

Naira devalued

Nigeria's government has devalued the naira by 4.6 percent to 90 to the US dollar. The previous rate was 86 to the dollar.

The devaluation was made last week, according to PANA, which cited reports from Lagos as saying that the central bank took the measure to reduce the high demand for hard currency at the weekly currency auction of the country's autonomous foreign exchange market.

However, some observers linked the devaluation to the recent visit of an International Monetary Fund team, led by its executive director, Michael Camdessus, PANA said.

Under a system that had been in force since the 1980s, the dollar
exchanged at 22 naira for government transactions and 85:1 for private ones. Since a single-rate system was introduced in January, the dollar had been exchanging at 86:1, according to PANA.


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join