Following an expansion of 3.6 percent in 2018, the global economy is estimated to have grown at a slower rate of 2.9 percent in 2019, representing the lowest growth rate since the financial crisis in 2008/2009. This deceleration reflects slowdowns in both advanced and emerging market and developing economies. All advanced economies with the exception of Japan and the UK saw lower levels of growth while Nigeria was the only emerging and developing economy to record an uptick in growth. This broad-based economic slowdown largely reflected significantly lower levels of manufacturing and world trade. Business sentiments were adversely affected by heightened trade tensions between the US and China with increased protectionism including use of trade barriers…