Breakdown of Nigeria’s Debt to China, France, India, Germany, Japan, As Tinubu’s Govt Repays $664m

Breakdown of Nigeria’s Debt to China, France, India, Germany, Japan, As Tinubu’s Govt Repays $664m

  • Data from the Debt Management Office (DMO) website showed that Nigeria's foreign debt is at over $42 billion
  • DMO data further revealed that Nigeria has over $5 billion in debt to China and four other countries
  • As expected, Nigeria owes more to China than it does to other countries, including France and Germany

Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has over a decade of business journalism experience with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, stocks, and general market trends.

The Debt Management Office has announced that Nigeria's total external debt now stands at $42.49 billion as of December 2023.

This represents a 1.53% reduction, or $664.03 million, compared to the $43.15 billion Nigeria's external debt was in June 2023 when President Bola Tinubu's administration began.

Nigeria's debts China, France, Germany, others
Nigeria's debts to countries pile up Photo credit: mgkaya
Source: Getty Images

DMO stated this in its latest debt report published on its website and analysed by Legit.ng

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According to the DMO debt report, Nigeria's external debt was borrowed from multiple external sources, including the World Bank, IMF, financial institutions, foreign investors, and countries.

The reduction in debt stock is thanks to commercial debt (Eurobond) redemption, as well as payments of debt owed to international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the International Development Association.

Breakdown of Nigeria's external debt to countries

However, for countries, which are known as bilateral debt, the Nigerian government debt increased to $5.95 billion from $5.51 billion as of June 2023.

Bilateral debt accounts for 14.02% of the total external debt as of December 2023.

Here is how much Nigeria owes countries as at December 2023

CountriesJune 2023December 2023changes under Tinubu
China$4.72 billion$5.16 billion $440 million
France$572.61 million$580.13 million $7.52 million
Japan$57.18 million$58.33 million $1.15 million
India $26.64 million $25.94 million$0.70 million
Germany$135.26 million $125.90 million$9.36 million

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Nigeria’s debt to hit a new record

Legit.ng reported that the official data on Nigeria's public debt profile reveals a notable surge, surpassing an eightfold increase in the last ten years.

This substantial growth becomes even more evident when considering the inclusion of the central bank loan recently authorised for securitisation by President Bola Tinubu.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
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Dave Ibemere (Senior Business Editor) Dave Ibemere is a senior business editor at Legit.ng. He is a financial journalist with over a decade of experience in print and online media. He also holds a Master's degree from the University of Lagos. He is a member of the African Academy for Open-Source Investigation (AAOSI), the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and other media think tank groups. He previously worked with The Guardian, BusinessDay, and headed the business desk at Ripples Nigeria. Email: dave.ibemere@corp.legit.ng.