Nigeria’s foreign reserves rose to $39 billion in October — CBN Gov. Cardoso

The CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, says the country’s foreign reserves rose by 12.74% to $39.12 billion as of October 11.

Cardoso stated this while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Banking Regulation in Abuja on Tuesday, October 15.

The apex bank boss noted that the nation’s foreign reserves stood at $34.70 billion at the end of June.

He said the nation’s foreign exchange reserves have “grown significantly” with remittance flows currently representing 9.4% of total external reserves.

According to him, “The reserves rose by 12.74% to $39.12 billion as of October 11, 2024, from $34.70 billion at the end of June 2024.

In Q2 2024, we maintained a current account surplus & saw remarkable improvements in our trade balance. The current external reserves position can finance over 12 months of import of goods & services or 15 months of goods only.

This is substantially higher than the prescribed international benchmark of 30 months, reflecting a robust buffer against external shocks.