The African Development Bank (AfDB) says it has approved 100 million dollars senior loan to Nigerian firm, Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals Limited, to support production of Fertilizer in Nigeria to enable the company double its fertilizer production from 1.4 million tons of urea to 2.8 million tons per annum.

AfDB said the intervention followed a previous loan extended to Indorama Fertilizer in 2013 for the commissioning of another urea fertilizer plant with a production capacity of 1.4 million tons per annum.

The statement stated that “The completion and exploitation of that plant in 2016 helped turn Nigeria from a net fertilizer importer to a self-sufficient producer, and now a net exporter of fertilizer. In 2017, 700, 000 tons of urea were exported to West Africa and North and South American markets. Production from the new plant will predominantly target export markets,’’ it said

The  statement reveals that the project would  also address the problem of inadequate fertilizer utilization, which was considered one of the principal constraints to agricultural growth and development in Nigeria, and the entire African continent.

“This Project will build upon the success of Train-I in increasing the domestic supply of urea fertilizer in Nigeria, making it easily available and leading to cheaper prices for the Nigerian farmer. It will also help further address labor issues in a local region wracked by poverty, inequality and political tension by creating high paying technical jobs and will count towards climate change abatement by reducing amounts of flared gas.”  Abdu Mukhtar, Director for Industrial and Trade Development  said.

Fertilizer production support is well aligned with regional and national priorities, as well as the Bank’s assistance strategy in Nigeria, and is an important step towards the Bank’s goal of radically transforming Africa’s agriculture sector and making the continent self-sufficient in food.

In spite a large population of farmers, Nigeria spends at least 6 billion dollars per year on food imports.

A contributing factor to low domestic crop yields is low consumption levels of fertilizer in Nigeria-and indeed Africa as a whole, which averages only 10-15 per cent of global levels.

The project supports the medium term economic recovery and growth plan of the Government of Nigeria and the Bank’s regional strategy to link regional markets in West Africa.

20 per cent of the urea exports will be made to South Africa and West Africa (Cote D’Ivoire & Senegal).

Regional integration will be further strengthened by the export of increased agriculture production in Nigeria.

The Indorama Eleme Complex has been a success story of public private partnerships in Nigeria, with several benefits including import substitution of raw materials to over 450 downstream industries.

Also, increased crop yields of over 30 per cent; training of 200,000 farmers on the proper use of fertilizers expected to reach 2 million by 2021; creation of 50,000 jobs, and an annual contribution of 2 billion dollars to Nigeria’s GDP.

The estimated 1.1 billion dollars cost of the Project is to be financed with equity of 100 million dollars and debt finance of 1billion dollars which will be provided by development finance institutions.

All the financiers have now provided their final Board approvals for the project.

NAN