The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said that it is committed to ensuring the supply of clean currency notes in the appropriate mix to boost the nation’s economy.

It therefore, renewed its appeal on Nigerians to see the naira as a “critical symbol of national identity”, that should not be hawked, mutilated, counterfeit or sprayed and should be kept clean.

The Bank also reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to maintaining economic stability, advancing structural reforms, and enhancing collaboration with key institutional stakeholders and partners,

It’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations Department, Mrs Sidi Ali Hakama, stated when the Bank marked its special day at the ongoing 37th Enugu International Trade Fair that CBN is targeting shift towards a more transparent, forward-looking, and rules-based monetary policy system anchored in long-term price stability.

She assured that the policy would also help shape market expectations and limit the disruptive effects of supply-side shocks.

She noted that the reforms, anchored in orthodox monetary policy, institutional transparency, and market-driven foreign exchange frameworks, have earned the Bank the ‘Central Bank of the Year 2026 Award from the Central Banking Awards Committee, London”.

“The award is part of the Committee’s celebration of excellence among central banks worldwide. Collectively, these reforms have increased transparency, supported disciplined price discovery, and strengthened the transmission of monetary policy.

“Our fight against inflation has been steadfast, and the tight monetary policy stance we adopted has played a key role in reducing headline inflation from a peak of 34.8% in late 2024 to 15.06% by the end of February 2026; almost a 200 percent increase in capital and investment inflows between 2023 and 2025; and an increase in external reserves from less than $10 billion to $50.45 billion, all while maintaining our focus on achieving a single-digit inflation in the near term”, she said.

Hakama said that going forward the Bank’s strategic priorities for 2026 would ensure strengthening the banking system; ensuring durable price stability; modernising payments and promoting financial inclusion; fostering responsible fintech innovation; enhancing institutional capacity and operational efficiency; and deepening partnerships.

She said that the theme of this year’s Fair aligns with the Bank’s reform agenda and policies designed to promote sustainable economic growth and development, recognising that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are the ‘engine of growth’ for any economy.

“It notably addresses issues such as unemployment, capacity building, access to finance, and the promotion of economic resilience”, she said, adding that reforms so far undertaking had improved increased transparency and liquidity in the foreign exchange (FX) market.

In his speech, President of Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), Nnanyelugo Onyemelukwe lauded the decision of the Bank to use Trade Fair platforms in disseminating information and creating wider awareness on her operations for better understanding of its financial and monetary policies.

He also commended the Bank for its policy measures to rebuilding stronger business confidence and ensuring stability in the economy particularly in the financial/banking sector.

He however, advised the Bank to ensure that its key policies which focuses on curbing inflation and stabilising the naira through aggressive monetary tightening, including keeping a 27.0% policy rate (MPR) for a period of time and a 45% cash reserve requirement for banks, would not become counterproductive.

Onyemelukwe, who commended the recent reduction of interest rate from 27.00% to 26.50% , however , expressed worries that the interest rate was still high and needs to be brought down to a single digit rate.

“The CBN needs an aggressive push to manage the nation’s inflationary pressure and liquidity. The high interest rate regime will likely have adverse effect on the accessibility of bank credit by businesses. There is no doubt that access to credit and cost of fund have relationship with increasing or decreasing level of productivity, GDP and stabilising our economy”, he observed

He also emphasised the need to save Indigenous sector from further glaring cringe through policy measures, stressing that he was not unmindful of the various intervention schemes of the CBN to support and encourage the growth of businesses in various sectors of the economy.