CBN retains lending rate at 11.5%

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria has retained the Monetary Policy Rate at 11.5 per cent.

The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, disclosed this after the committee’s two-day meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

It also retained the Cash Reserve Ratio and Liquidity Ratio at 27.5 per cent and 30 per cent respectively.

Announcing the committee’s decision, Emefiele said, “The MPC made the decision to hold all parameters constant. The committee thought by unanimous vote to retain the Monetary Policy Rate at 11.5 per cent.

“In summary, MPC voted as follows, one, retain MPR at 11.5 per cent; retain the asymmetric corridor of +100/-700 basis points around the MPR; retain the CRR at 27.5 per cent; and retain the Liquidity Ratio at 30 per cent.”

He said MPC weighed the effect of tightening or loosening, noting the impact on output growth and employment among others.

Members felt that tightening would contract the current level of system liquidity and thus reduce demand pressure on the forex market, he said.