Developmental Effect of the Rising Debt Level in Nigeria

Background Nigerian economy is bedeviled by dwindling economy, low per capita income, poor infrastructural development, high unemployment rates, inadequate basic amenities, falling growth rates of GDP and recently, rated the poverty headquarters of the world which calls for empirical investigation as a way forward to resuscitate the economy.Aim The study investigated the effect of debt level on the economic development of Nigeria from 1999 to 2021. Materials and Methods Two research questions were developed to guide the study. Also, two hypotheses were formulated for the study. Ex post facto research design was adopted. The study used time series data to analyse public debt level trends in Nigeria compared to GDP growth rate over twenty three 23 years, spanning from the year 1999 to 2021. Ordinary least square regression, unit root test, and Johansen co integration test were used to analyse the data collected from Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin. Results The results of the study showed that domestic debt level significantly and positively affects the gross domestic product performance in Nigeria. Also, the study found that external debt level significantly and negatively influences the gross domestic product of Nigeria. Conclusion The study concludes that debt level domestic and external have significant effect on Nigerian gross domestic product.Recommendation It was recommended that the government should resort to domestic debts up to sustainable debt levels that do not crowd out development and social programmes to prevent issues with debt overhang, government borrowing from international markets should be utilized effectively and concessionary loans rather than commercial loans should be sought after. Tochukwu Akaegbobi | Okeke Onyekachi, N | Onyeogubalu Ogochukwu, N "Developmental Effect of the Rising Debt Level in Nigeria" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-7 | Issue-3 , June 2023, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com.com/papers/ijtsrd57480.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com.com/management/accounting-and-finance/57480/developmental-effect-of-the-rising-debt-level-in-nigeria/tochukwu-akaegbobi