Director-General Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr Chinyere Almona, has welcomed the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) decision to reduce the monetary policy rate (MPR) by 50 basis points to 26.5 per cent, noting that it sent a critical confidence signal to the organised private sector (OPS) and establishes a pathway toward a gradual reduction in the cost of capital.

Speaking yesterday in Lagos, the DG said the move, though cautious, was a positive step in the right direction and also signalled a significant shift from aggressive monetary tightening toward a stabilisation phase anchored on disinflation, exchange rate convergence and improving supply-side conditions.

Inflation seems to have moderated for eleven consecutive months to 15.1 per cent in January 2026, she noted. Retaining other monetary parameters suggests that liquidity conditions remain very restrictive.

Considering the direction, she said, businesses still required tangible relief in financing costs to restore production, expand capacity and preserve jobs.

For domestic and foreign investors, she said, the decision reinforced Nigeria’s transition from reform-induced adjustment to stabilisation-driven expansion.

On behalf of the OPS, she demanded improved policy predictability, strengthened real return expectations and support for medium-term investment planning, particularly in manufacturing, agro-processing, local drug production and export-oriented industries.

“Nonetheless, high reserve requirements on banks, weak and slow credit transmission and structural rigidities may continue to blunt the impact of monetary easing on real-sector activity,” she said.

She also stressed the need to continue to focus on addressing impediments in the business environment and attract the necessary foreign direct investment (FDI) into critical sectors such as renewable energy, transport logistics, agro-processing and oil and gas.

“We must sustain our efforts to expand local refining capacity and build lasting industrial systems that outlast political administrations.

“The Chamber therefore calls for a calibrated but sustained easing cycle anchored on inflation outcomes and real-sector performance, alongside accelerated reforms in power supply, transport logistics, agriculture and the business regulatory environment. We expect the recently launched digital single window by the Nigerian Customs Service to ease transactions at the ports,” she said.