By Bassey Udo
Nigeria’s ongoing financial-sector reforms are strengthening the country’s economic foundations, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, has said.
Cardoso who spoke at the Distinguished Alumni Lecture to mark the Founders’ Day celebration of St. Gregory’s College, Lagos, said significant progress was being made in the areas of banking recapitalisation, inflation control, and foreign-exchange market stability.
He emphasised the importance of building strong institutions and disciplined policy frameworks as crucial instrument for sustainable economic growth.
Delivering a lecture titled “Strong Foundations: From the Classroom to the Capital Base,” the CBN Governor said principles that build strong individuals, such as discipline, integrity, and intellectual curiosity, were the same principles that sustain strong economies and resilient financial institutions.
Nigeria’s economy, Cardoso observed, had experienced considerable pressures in recent years, such as macroeconomic imbalances, exchange-rate fluctuations, and inflationary challenges.
He stated that restoring stability necessitates disciplined monetary policy and the rebuilding of institutional credibility.
He explained that the banking recapitalisation programme introduced in 2024 was intended to enhance the capacity of Nigerian banks to support the country’s long-term economic transformation.
The progress under the programme, he said, has been steady, saying that as of March 2026, 33 banks have successfully raised additional capital, while 30 other financial institutions have already met the new minimum capital requirements for their respective licence categories.
Also, the remaining institutions were currently undergoing routine regulatory verification in line with the Central Bank’s compliance framework.
The CBN deputy Governor also highlighted improvements in inflation management and foreign-exchange market operations.
He said the Bank’s return to a more orthodox monetary policy environment has helped in reducing inflation significantly from a peak of about 34 percent to around 15 per cent.
Similarly, he said reforms in the foreign-exchange market have reduced the gap between official and parallel market rates, with the premium dropping from about 50 per cent in 2022 to less than two per cent in 2025.
Cardoso disclosed that Nigeria’s external reserves have also strengthened, recently exceeding $50 billion, while capital and investment flows into the country increased significantly between 2023 and 2025.
Looking ahead, he emphasised the growing role of financial technology in expanding financial inclusion, describing Nigeria as home to one of the world’s most dynamic fintech ecosystems.
He also encouraged students to embrace interdisciplinary skills, noting that the careers of the future will increasingly require the integration of technology, creativity, and analytical thinking.
