Export instability and economic growth in Nigeria: a time series analysis

The primary products and commodities provide food and livelihood for families and communities, are sources of raw material, and export earnings for many governments in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries and most especially, Nigeria. However, over the years, global prices of primary products and commodities have been very volatile, with serious implications for economic growth. As a response, this study investigates the impact of export instability on economic growth in Nigeria using time series data from 1970q1 to 2011q4 and an econometric approach that addresses the problem of non-stationarity. As a departure from previous studies, the paper uses an instability measure that varies over time and a relatively large data sample size. The results show that export instability has negative effects on economic growth and also on investment.