SN Business & Economics, cilt.4, sa.35, ss.1-27, 2024 (Hakemli Dergi)
This study investigates the sensitivity of import demand in Nigeria, aiming to
determine how it responds to some economic fundamentals. We examine whether
import demand reacts diferently to negative changes in consumer price index,
currency price and national income compared to positive changes. The recently
developed nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model provided strong proof
for asymmetry over the short- and long-run. From the long-run non-linear
Autoregressive Distributed Lag estimates, import demand was found to be positive,
inelastic and signifcant in response to positive shocks to Consumer Price Index.
It was also indicated to be positive, signifcant but elastic in response to negative
shocks. The short-term response of import demand to Consumer Price Index
is revealed to be biased towards negative shocks. Import demand showed greater
sensitivity to currency appreciation than depreciation. Additionally, our analysis
indicates that higher coefcients of income elasticity of import demand are linked
to negative changes in Gross Domestic Product rather than positive changes. In the
light of these fndings, we recommend macroeconomic and microeconomic policies
that can drive down domestic infation and improve internal competitiveness.