Nigeria's central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged on Thursday after six hikes last year, saying that it was reassured by stability in the foreign exchange market and saw inflation gradually falling.

The Central Bank of Nigeria Monetary Policy Committee has retained the country’s interest rate at 27.50 percent in January, the same rate as in November last year amid inflation drops. It also retained the Cash Reserve Ratio,

Nigeria's annual inflation rate stood at 24.48% in January, the statistics agency said on Tuesday, well down from the previous month's figure after the country's price index was rebased for the first time in more than a decade.