Financial Sector Reforms and Economic Growth in Nigeria (1970 - 2009): Liberalizing the Financial Sector to Enhance Economic Growth, the Nigerian Experience

This book offers an investigation to the links between financial sector reforms and economic growth in Nigeria. It discovered the channels through which financial liberalization contributed to the economic growth in Nigeria. This book reveals that all is not well with the McKinnon and Shaw postulation as interpreted and applied to Nigerian economy. The target of achieving positive and rising real deposit rate via increase in nominal interest rate was obviously a wrong approach given the structure of the economy and the connection between the financial system. A more effective means to improve real interest rate would be through macroeconomic stabilization and fiscal reforms. However, the book revealed a linkage between financial sector and economic growth. Although the results were mixed, the estimated results reveal that changes in exchange rate affect GDP i.e. exchange rate and have significant impacts on economic growth. In addition, a positive impact in exchange rate will have a positive impact on economic growth. Hence, these results show the need to sustained reforms in the financial sector in order to enhance economic growth.