The naira weakened marginally against the US dollar at the official Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) window, closing at N1,351.00 per dollar on August 19, 2026.
According to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) compiled by Nairametrics, the official exchange rate rose by N0.30, or 0.02%, from N1,350.70 recorded on the previous trading day.
In the parallel market, the dollar remained stable at N1,405.00 on August 20, according to Bureau de Change (BDC) operators.
The euro and Canadian dollar also maintained their respective rates at N1,560.00 and N1,055.00. The British pound, however, declined against the naira in the parallel market, falling to N1,860.00 from N1,870.00. The N10.00 decline represents a 0.54% appreciation of the naira against the pound.
The difference between the official NAFEM rate and the parallel-market dollar rate stood at N54 per dollar.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s external reserves declined to $52.322 billion as of August 17, from $52.516 billion recorded on August 14, according to CBN data. The N194 million decline represents a 0.37% decrease in the country’s foreign exchange reserves over the period.
