Central Bank of Nigeria has lifted the ban on 43 items imposed under the Godwin Emefiele CBN era.
This was disclosed in a circular by the apex bank released on October 12, 2023.
According to the central bank, it will also boost liquidity in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market and intervene from time to time, stating that interventions will decrease as liquidity improves.
The press release:
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will continue to promote orderliness and professional conduct by all participants in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market to ensure market forces determine exchange rates on a Willing Buyer – Willing Seller principle.
The CB reiterates that the prevailing Foreign Exchange (FX) rates should be referenced from platforms such as the CB website, FMDQ, and other recognised or appointed trading systems to promote price discovery, transparency, and credibility in the FX rates.
As part of its responsibility to ensure price stability, the CB will boost liquidity in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market by interventions from time to time. As market liquidity improves, these CB interventions will gradually decrease.
Importers of all the 43 items previously restricted by the 2015 Circular referencedTED/FEM/FPC/GEN/01/010 and its addendums are now allowed to purchase foreign exchange in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market. The CB is committed to accelerating efforts to clear the FX backlog with existing participants and will continue dialogue with stakeholders to address the issue.
The CB has set as one of its goals the attainment of a single FX market. Consultation is ongoing with market participants to achieve this goal.
Participants and the general public are to be guided by the above.
The decision of the central bank decision to lift the ban on 43 items signifies a major step in resolving Nigeria’s forex crisis as most.
The 43 banned items include a list of imports that were not allowed access to forex from official sources since 2015.
However, some of the items remain on the ban list of customs.
Despite this, most critics of the former central bank have called for the central bank to lift the ban citing the negative impact this could be having on the black market.
Here is the list of the 43 non-eligible items CBN lifted restrictions on:
Rice
Cement
Margarine
Palm kernel
Palm oil products
Vegetable oils
Meat and processed meat products
Vegetables and processed vegetable products
Poultry and processed poultry products
Tinned fish in sauce (Geisha)/sardine
Cold rolled steel sheets
Galvanized steel sheets
Roofing sheets
Wheelbarrows
Head pans
Metal boxes and containers
Enamelware
Steel drums
Steel pipes
Wire rods (deformed and not deformed)
Iron rods
Reinforcing bars
Wire mesh
Steel nails
Security and razor fencing and poles
Wood particle boards and panels
Wood fiberboards and panels
Plywood boards and panels
Wooden doors
Toothpicks
Glass and glassware
Kitchen utensils
Tableware
Tiles-vitrified and ceramic
Gas cylinders
Woven fabrics
Clothes
Plastic and rubber products
Polypropylene granules
Cellophane wrappers and bags
Soap and cosmetics
Tomatoes/tomato pastes
Eurobond/foreign currency bond/ share purchases
