IMF cautions Nigeria, others against taking loans from China
- Nigeria and other countries have been cautioned by the IMF against taking loans from China, due to unfavourable loan conditions
- The international financial institution asserted that it is imperative for countries to ensure that terms are favourable when they borrow from abroad
- The IMF also urged Nigeria to increase Value Added Tax, increase and expand the coverage of excise duties
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cautioned Nigeria and other developing countries against taking loans from China due to unfavourable loan conditions.
Tobias Adrian said this on Wednesday, April 10, during the launch of the Global Financial Stability Report for April 2019 at the IMF/World Bank meetings in Washington DC, USA, NAN reports.
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Legit.ng gathers that he said: “Capital flows, which include capital flows from China, are of course important for development.
"On the other hand, what is very important in lending arrangements are the terms of the loans and we urge countries to make sure that when they borrow from abroad the terms are favourable.
“In particular, we recommend that loans to countries should conform with Paris Club arrangements and that is not always the case of loans from China.”
On Nigeria’s rising debt levels, Adrian said that the IMF was not overly concerned, as it would allow the country to invest more in developing critical infrastructure.
“At the moment, funding conditions in economies such as Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African countries are very favourable but that may change at some point,” he said.
The April 2019 Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) finds that in spite of significant variability over the past two quarters, financial conditions remained accommodative.
As a result, financial vulnerabilities have continued to build in the sovereign, corporate, and non-bank financial sectors in several systemically important countries, leading to elevated medium-term risks.
Also, the IMF in the April 2019 Fiscal Monitor Report urged Nigeria to increase Value Added Tax, increase and expand the coverage of excise duties.
The IMF commended the country’s latest Strategic Revenue Growth Initiative, which looks at a comprehensive approach to tax reform.
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In a similar development, Legit.ng previously reported that the former US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, warned African countries to be wary of the Chinese government and its loan facilities.
Tillerson told African countries to weigh Chinese loans carefully, adding that the United States was not trying to keep Chinese investment away from the continent.
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Source: Legit.ng
