CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The capital market has been identified as an institution that contributes to the socio-economic growth and development of emerging and developed economies. This is made possible through some of the vital roles played such as channeling resources, promoting reforms to modernize the financial sectors, financial intermediation capacity to link deficit to the surplus sector of the economy, and a veritable tool in the mobilization and allocation of savings among competitive uses which are critical to the growth and efficiency of the economy (Alile 1984).

It helps to channel capital or long-term resources to firms with relatively high and increasing productivity thus enhancing economic expansion and growth (Alile 1997). Ekundayo (2002) argues that a nation requires a lot of local and foreign investments to attain sustainable economic growth and development. The capital market provides a means through which this is made possible. However, the paucity of long-term capital has posed the greatest predicament to economic development in most African countries including Nigeria.

Osaze (2000) sees the capital market as the driver of any economy to growth and development because it is essential for the long-term growth capital formation. It is crucial in the mobilization of savings and channeling of such savings to profitable self-liquidating investment.

The Nigerian capital market provides the necessary lubricant that keeps turning the wheel of the economy. It not only provides the funds required for investment but also efficiently allocates these funds to projects of best returns to fund owners. This allocative function is critical in determining the overall growth of the economy. The functioning of the capital market affects liquidity, acquisition of information about firms, risk diversification, savings mobilization and corporate control (Anyanwu 1998). Therefore, by altering the quality of these services, the functioning of stock markets can alter the rate of economic growth (Equakun 2005). Okereke-Onyiuke (2000) posits that the cheap source of funds from the capital market remain a critical element in the sustainable development of the economy. She enumerated the advantages of capital market financing to include no short repayment period as funds are held for medium and long term period or in perpetuity, funds to state and local government without pressures and ample time to repay loans.

In 1986 Nigeria embraced the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-World Bank Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) which influenced the economic policies of the Nigerian government and led to reforms in the late 1980s and early 1990s.The programme was proposed as an economic package to rapidly and effectively transformed the Nigerian economy within two years (Yesufu 1996). However, until SAP was abandoned in 1994, the objectives were not achieved due to the inability of government to judiciously implement some of its policy measures Oyefusi and Mogbolu 2003). The notable reforms include monetary and fiscal policies, sectoral reforms such as removal of oil subsidy in 1988 to the tune of 80%,interest deregulation from August 1987, financial market reform and public sector reforms which entails the full or partial privatization and commercialization of about 111 public owned enterprises. The Nigerian Stock Exchange was to play a key role during the offer for sale of the shares of the affected enterprises (World Bank 1994; Anyanwu 1993; Anyanwu et al. 1997; Oyefusi and Mogbolu 2003).

The introduction of SAP in Nigeria has resulted in a very significant growth of the country’s stock market as a result of deregulation of the financial sector and the privatization exercise which exposed investors and companies to the significance of the stock market (Alile1996;Soyode 1990). Ariyo and Adelegan (2005) contend that the liberalization of capital market led to the growth of the Nigerian capital market yet its impact at the macro-economy was negligible. Again the capital market was instrumental to the initial 25 banks that were able to meet the minimum capital requirement of N25billion during the banking sector consolidation in 2005.The stock market has helped government and corporate entities to raise long-term capital for financing new projects, and expanding and modernizing industrial/commercial concerns (Nwankwo 1991).

Given the roles the capital market has played during the privatization of public owned enterprises, recent recapitalization of the banking sector and avenue of long term funds to various government and corporations in Nigeria.

The major focus of this research is to empirically assess with the contribution of capital market to economic growth in Nigeria.