THE CAPITAL MARKET AS A TOOL FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ABSTRACT

The research work is on the contribution of the Nigerian Capital Market to the nations economic development and growth.

The research is aimed at the following:

a. To demonstrate that individuals and corporate participation in the Nigerian Capital market will help in no small measure in the channelisation of long-term funds for investment purposes within the economy.

b. To demonstrate the fact that the Nigeria capital market is an economic institution with the sole aim of promoting efficiency and discipline in capital formation and allocation for an overall development and growth of the economy.

c. Seeks to demonstrate that with her better trained workforce via the acquisition of new skills and technology, the Nigerian capital market is listed in some other markets within Africa and is seriously reaching out to other parts of the world thus attracting foreign investors and injecting more funds into the system for productive purposes and economic growth.

d. While creating a paying ground capable of ensuring honesty, transparency and fairness for quality services that will enable more companies being listed for quotation on the exchange; this no doubt, will engender wider private sector participation and a boom to the economy.

e. To establish the fact that the Nigerian capital market stimulates industrial growth and development in Nigeria, and lastly to recommend steps based on the findings.

In the course of the study, the following findings among others were made.

(i) Following the Federal Government recent reforms in reshaping the economy into something better; especially in the financial and other sectors, such that banks and non-banking institutions now rush to the Nigerian Capital Market to shop for funds, thus boosting the market.

(ii) These reforms provided opportunities for the small companies to become quoted and have access to funds in the capital market.

(iii) It was discovered that with the introduction of Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) and privatization exercise going on, the Nigerian Capital Market has facilitated the transfer of enterprises from the public to private sector for a better restructuring and management.

(iv) That internationalization of the Nigerian Capital Market has made possible substantial injections which pumped up the volume of economic activities within the country.

(v) That despite Government’s consistencies in her fiscal and monetary policies, Nigerian Capital Market has recorded a total of N2.96Trillion and growth rate of over 35% over the past 12 years.

In conducting the research, frequency tables, percentages and chi-square (X2) distributions were used as statistical tool.

In the end, summary, conclusion and recommendations were drawn.