Nigeria Records 57.1 PMI Points as at February, Says CBN

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Thursday said the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index stood at 57.1 index points as at February, indicating an expansion in the manufacturing sector for 23 consecutive months.
In its monthly “Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) Survey Report” by its Statistics Department, CBN said the index grew at a slower rate when compared to 58.5 index points recorded in January.

The report also said

the employment level index for February stood at 56.3 points, indicating growth in employment level for the 22 consecutive months.

Out of the 14 subsectors, the report said eight reported increased employment level, five reported unchanged employment level, while one reported decreased employment in the period under review.

According to the report, 13 out of the 14 sub-sectors assessed reported growth in the month reviewed in petroleum and coal products, electrical equipment, transportation equipment; plastics and rubber products, food, beverage and tobacco products.

The other sectors the report said include textile, apparel, leather and footwear, nonmetallic mineral products, chemical and pharmaceutical products, furniture and related products, printing and related support activities, cement, fabricated metal products, and paper products.

The report, however, said the primary metal subsector declined in the period reviewed.

It said at 57.5 points, the production level index for the manufacturing sector grew for the 24 consecutive months in February 2019.

The report said the index indicated a slower growth in the month under review when compared to its level in the preceding month.

It said nine of the 14 manufacturing subsectors recorded increased production level, three remained unchanged while two recorded decline.

The report added that the manufacturing supplier delivery time index stood at 58.2 points in the period under review, indicating slower supplier delivery time.
According to the report, the index has recorded growth for 21 consecutive months.

It said all 14 subsectors recorded improved suppliers’ delivery time in the review period, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported.

NAN reported that the PMI is an indicator of business activity in both the manufacturing and services sectors.

It is a survey-based measure that seeks to know about changes in some key business variables from the previous month.