AN EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE OF THE LINK BETWEEN NATURAL RESOURCE DEPENDENCE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA.  

JOSHUA ROTIMI AND UFFIA, EDISON JAMES

Abstract

The study investigates the link between natural resource dependence and economic growth in Nigeria, employing the Autoregressive Distributed Lag framework on data from 1981 to 2017. The ARDL result indicated that the coefficients of natural resource dependence was positive but was not statistically significant at the 5% level of significant in the short run but was statistically significant in the long run. This finding negates the Structuralist consensus that natural resource dependent impact negatively on economic growth. Oil price was found positive and statistically significant. This means that oil price is an important growth determinant in Nigeria. Exchange rate and foreign direct investment were both positive and statistically significant while physical capital and domestic investment though positive but was not statistically significant. The study recommends deliberate effort at diversifying the economy from dependence on single natural resource to stall transmission of oil price shocks into the domestic economy; maintain stable exchange rate; and provide enabling business environment towards attraction of more inflows of FDI into Nigeria.

Keywords: Natural Resource Dependence, Oil Price, Economic Growth, Autoregressive Distributed Lag