From Olukayode Idowu, Abuja
Agence Francaise De Developpement, AFD, is investing €2 billion in Nigeria.
The French development agency AFD is a development finance institution 100 percent held by French government.
In Nigeria, it is mainly into financing of infrastructure projects (water, energy, transport and agriculture). It also involves in financing related to banking sector, governance and the cultural and creative industries.
Speaking to ThisDay, the AFD Country Director Nigeria, Pascal Grangereau said €2 billion is set aside to be sent on mainly road financing, water sector, improvement in electricity and agriculture.
He said €300 million is being spent on Abuja Electricity Backup, a project in collaboration with Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to improve electricity at the nation’s capital.
Grangereau said a total of €200 million is equally expended on the North West Electricity Backup.
On agriculture, he said vocational training are currently held across the nation to improve the skills of Nigerians.
He added: “We intend to finance agricultural projects in five states, Benue, Imo and three other states to the tune of €50 million.”
He lamented that while it is endowed with reserves of crude oil and natural gas, Nigeria is characterized by power generation considered by the Nigerians themselves as not adequate.
He said concentrating more than half of the installed electricity capacity in West Africa, only half of which is harnessed by the country, implying a very low per capita consumption, limited access to electricity and frequent load shedding.
He said: “The sector is of strategic importance for successive governments, with the launching in the 2000s of a vast reform, supported by a massive investment plan; which reform although supported by the donors is yet to achieve the expected results. The project aims to strengthen the electricity transmission network, natural monopoly under the responsibility of the public company TCN, thus laying the foundations for a long-term partnership with TCN.”