Naira Official Rate Falls 26% as Dollar Supply Drops Two-Thirds

  • Nigerian naira rate is lowest closing price on record
  • Acute dollar shortage is exerting downward pressure on unit

A currency dealer in Lagos.

Photographer: Benson Ibeabuchi/Bloomberg
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The naira weakened 26% against the dollar on the official market, touching its lowest closing price on record amid an acute local shortage of the greenback in Africa’s most-populous nation.

The naira closed at 993.82 to the dollar on Monday, compared with 789.94 in the previous trading day, according to FMDQ Group, a Lagos-based exchange operator that tracks the data.