ABUJA, Aug 21 (Reuters) – Nigerian President Bola Tinubu swore in ministers to his cabinet on Monday, nearly three months after his inauguration.

The new cabinet will have to confront sluggish growth, caused by a previous collapse in oil prices that weakened the naira NGN=D1 currency, slashed government revenues and drove up inflation.

The government must also deal with large-scale crude oil theft and insecurity in the country, and win back foreign investors who fled as currency controls were introduced in 2016.

Tinubu, 71, who is also the chairman of regional bloc ECOWAS, is also working with other heads of government in West Africa to find a solution to the crisis in Niger where a military junta has seized power.

Tinubu, who took office on May 29, won a disputed presidential election in February, which is being challenged by his main opponents in court.

He has embarked on some of the boldest reforms that Nigeria has seen in years, including scrapping a popular but costly petrol subsidy and removing exchange rate restrictions. The naira has weakened to record lows.

The reforms are a gamble to try to kick-start growth but inflation has soared, worsening a cost of living crisis for Africa’s most populous nation, a big headache for Tinubu and his new ministers.

Tinubu, 71, appointed former investment banker Olawale Edun as finance minister and coordinating minister for the economy. He named Heineken Lokpobiri as junior minister of petroleum and Ekperipe Ekpo as junior minister of gas resources.

A main petroleum minister has yet to be appointed, spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said.

(Reporting by Felix Onuah, Writing by Chijioke Ohuocha, Editing by Angus MacSwan)