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Senegal: African Development Bank agrees loan of nearly €87 million for Agropole Nord

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African Development Bank

The Bank’s contribution accounts for 30.7% of the estimated €283.05 million total project cost

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, November 22, 2023/APO Group/ — 

Meeting in Abidjan on Wednesday 22 November 2023, the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) approved a €86.89 million loan to Senegal to develop an agribusiness processing zone in the north of the country.

The Bank’s contribution accounts for 30.7% of the estimated €283.05 million total project cost. The Islamic Development Bank (21.2%), the West African Development Bank (15.9%), Sponsor Dette (19.3%) and Sponsor Equity (7.7%) are the other contributors to the implementation of ‘Projet Agropole Nord’, in English, ‘Agricultural Hub North Project’.

The project is intended to improve industrial processing capacities for agricultural, forestry, pastoral, fisheries products and related services, while also sustainably increasing household incomes and food security. The Senegalese Government is contributing 5.2% of the project cost.

The project is one of five integrated and competitive agricultural hubs created by the Senegalese Government under its Plan for an Emerging Senegal for 2025. It comes after an earlier Board approval of the Agropole Sud (Southern Agropole) and Agropole Centre (Central Agropole) projects to cover the regions of Kolda, Sédhiou and Ziguinchor, in southern Senegal, and the regions of Diourbel, Fatick, Kaffrine and Kaolack, in the centre of the country. The project will be implemented by the Senegalese Ministry of Industrial Development and of Small and Medium Industries, with the objective of boosting exports and strengthening entrepreneurship.  

The project will foster the emergence of three agribusiness development hubs and will facilitate the networking of stakeholders in the value chains

“The project will foster the emergence of three agribusiness development hubs and will facilitate the networking of stakeholders in the value chains,” said Mohamed Chérif,  the African Development Bank’s Country Representative in Senegal. “It will serve as a multi-sector platform for the incubation and integration of technologies, equipment and services to support small and medium-sized enterprises, industries and professional agricultural organizations. These hubs will help reduce the factors of migration-related fragility and climate change that can be seen in the project area.”

The project intervention area covers the regions of Louga, Matam and Saint-Louis, with a combined population of some 2.8 million people. It has significant agricultural, forestry, pastoral and fisheries potential and provides more than 80% of national rice production, 90% of its industrial tomato production and 50% of its onion production. With a sea coast, the River Senegal and Lake Guiers, the Saint-Louis region produces 122,000 tonnes of fish per year. It is also home to several private investments in the Senegal river valley.

During its implementation, the project will support the emergence of three agribusiness hubs through three agribusiness parks in the localities of Ogo, Bokhol and Dahra, each measuring some 130 to 150 hectares, along with 14 aggregation and services centres, all of which will facilitate the networking of value chain stakeholders.

In terms of expected outcomes, Agropole Nord will enable the processing and marketing of some 2.12 million tonnes of agricultural products from its fifth year of operation. In addition to its financial and economic impact, the project is expected to lead to the creation of 129,800 direct jobs in the agricultural, forestry, pastoral and fisheries sectors and 298,800 indirect jobs in related services.

As of 31 October 2023, the African Development Bank Group’s active portfolio in Senegal comprised 35 projects with a total commitment of 1,380 billion FCFA.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

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Ministers among hundreds of energy-sector leaders to attend AOW event

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The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors”

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

AOW: Investing in African Energy (https://AOWEnergy.com) – Africa’s leading oil, gas and energy event – has confirmed attendance for more than 80 ministers and senior officials, representing African governments, energy departments and regulators at next month’s event.

These influential stakeholders will be among the more than 1 600 senior delegates and industry leaders who will be attending the event to develop policy, share discoveries, secure investment, and shape Africa’s energy future.

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors.”

Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention

Among the officials and government ministers attending will be energy leaders from South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Eswatini, Uganda, CAR, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Gabon, Malawi, Morocco, Zanzibar, Liberia, Senegal, Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone.

In addition, the event will feature high-level delegations from numerous national oil companies, as well as multilateral bodies including the African Union, (AU), African Energy Commission (AFREC), African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

AOW will see these energy leaders networking with C-suite executives and decision-makers from more than 760 top energy companies at daily networking events, to discuss insights, forge new relationships, and negotiate major energy deals.

“We are so excited to see the calibre of delegates at this year’s AOW event,” says Chief Executive Officer of Sankofa Events, Paul Sinclair. “Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention. The high-powered attendance proves AOW is a key platform to enable this intervention.”

Key themes to be discussed at this year’s AOW will be sustainable upstream development; expanding gas value chains; renewables and new energies; adoption of best-in-class technologies; and access to finance.

AOW: Investing in African Energy will culminate in a special anniversary party at Groot Constantia Vineyard to celebrate 30 years of the AOW event.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AOW: Investing in African Energy.

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Afreximbank approves US$20.8 million for Starlink Global’s cashew factory project in Lagos

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The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs

CAIRO, Egypt, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has approved a US$20.8 million financing facility for Nigeria-based Starlink Global & Ideal Limited to enable the company construct and operate a 30,000-metric tonne per annum cashew processing factory in Lagos.

We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria

According to the facility agreement signed in on July 22, 2024, Afreximbank will provide the funds in two tranches with the first tranche of US$7.48M going toward capital expenditure for the construction of the factory and the second, totalling US$13.25M to be deployed as working capital for the operations of the factory.

The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs once the factory becomes operational. It is also expected to support about 40 small and medium-sized enterprises.

Commenting on the transaction, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra Africa Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, said that by supporting Starlink Global to establish a modern processing facility, Afreximbank is making it possible for Africa to add value to its agro-commodities, thereby facilitating exports and subsequent inflow of much-needed foreign exchange into the continent.

“We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria. It will contribute to value creation and to the development of the local community while also improving the lots of smallholder farmers and small business suppliers that will work with Starlink across the value chain,” Mrs. Awani added.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

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Sonangol to Lead Decarbonized Oil & Gas (O&G) Development, Says Angolan National Oil Company (NOC) Head

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Participating in an on-stage interview at Angola Oil & Gas 2024, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins emphasized that oil and gas remains a core focus for the national oil company

LUANDA, Angola, October 3, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Angola’s national oil company Sonangol reiterated its commitment to driving sustainable hydrocarbon development during the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) conference this week. Speaking during an “In-Conversation with” session, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins stated that the company will not abandon oil and gas, but rather advance decarbonized oil and gas development.

We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas

By investing in upstream oil and gas production while prioritizing low-carbon projects, Sonangol aims to boost national crude output, while diversifying and decarbonizing the industry. The NOC is focusing efforts on non-associated gas development, as well as alternative energy sources such as solar.

“We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas. Gas produced from Angola LNG will be used for the production of fertilizer and we are evaluating the utilization of gas in the south of the country, linking gas with steel industries. We also have a blue carbon project, linked to the reduction of carbon through the plantation of mangroves. We have one area in Luanda and have identified four additional areas for this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Sonangol has undergone transformation in recent years: following the creation of the National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency (ANPG) in 2019, Sonangol transferred its role as national concessionaire and regulator. This transformation has aimed to make Sonangol more competitive and strengthen its capacity as an upstream operator. Concurrently, the government is partially privatizing the NOC, with privatization set to be complete in 2026. This process will enhance financial capacity, allowing Sonangol to drive new upstream projects forward.

“The transformation of Sonangol started several years ago, when we passed the regulatory, concessionaire role to the ANPG. At the time, we transferred almost 600 employees to the ANPG. After that, Sonangol underwent a restructuring program where we created five core business units from 36 different entities – starting with exploration and production. We want to go public, but we want to do it properly. So, we are currently going through all the processes to do this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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