Nigerian Economy to Grow 6.8% in 2013, Inflation 9.8%

The economy of Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, will probably expand 6.8 percent this year, the National Bureau of Statistics said.

The outlook compares with an estimated growth rate of 6.6 percent in 2012, the statistics bureau said, and a 6.5 percent target in the budget presented by President Goodluck Jonathan to Parliament in October. The economy expanded 7 percent in the fourth quarter, compared with 6.5 percent in the previous one, the statistics office said, citing provisional estimates.