On 23 May 2024 it was reported that the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) has invested USD1.44-billion to support the development of energy and power, transport, water and sanitation infrastructure in Nigeria.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite (far right) and Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, welcome director general, African Development Bank, Nigeria DG Lamin Barrow to the Nasarawa Investment Summit 2024. Supplied by African Development Bank Group (AfDB)
The Bank’s Nigeria Country Department, director general Lamin Barrow disclosed this at the Nasarawa Investment Summit 2024, held from 15–16 May in Lafia, in the Nasarawa State capital. The event was attended by local and foreign investors, representatives of the private sector, and senior government officials.
Acknowledging the resonance of the Summit theme against the backdrop of turbulence in the global economy, Barrow noted that Nasarawa State, and indeed Nigeria, face a huge infrastructure deficit, inhibiting the country’s efforts to diversify its non-oil production and achieve international competitiveness for exports.
According to the 2020 National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan, Nigeria requires – between 2020 and 2043 – total infrastructure investments estimated at USD2.3-trillion to raise its infrastructure stock to the international benchmark of 70% of GDP. The energy sector alone will require USD759-billion, while the transport sector needs USD575-billion.
“To address this problem, the African Development Bank is supporting the federal and state governments to improve the national and states’ infrastructure. As of April 2024, 31% of the Bank’s active portfolio, valued at USD1.4-billion, is supporting infrastructure development in Nigeria,” Barrow said in a speech he read on behalf of the group’s president, Dr Akinwumi Adesina.
To achieve industrial renaissance, Nasarawa State and Nigeria must accelerate domestic resource mobilisation; boost agriculture sector productivity; develop value chains and supportive infrastructure; enhance de-risk investments; prioritise natural resource value addition and beneficiation; strengthen institutional capacity and bridge the skills mismatch to enhance youth employability, he said.
Dr Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, representing Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, opened the summit. She said the country was proud of Nasarawa State, particularly for the positive strides it had made in the mining sector.
“Nasarawa State has shown great vision in ensuring that their vast lithium deposits are developed and processed, ensuring that raw materials are not exported out of this country without any value addition, in line with the renewed hope agenda,” she said.
In his welcome remarks, the Nasarawa state governor, Abdullahi Sule, thanked the African Development Bank for its continued support for the industrial and sustainable economic development of the state.
The African Development Bank has financed the construction of the Keffi and Akwanga water supply schemes in Nasarawa, comprising intake works, pumping stations, a 62 850m3/d treatment plant, 19.9km of transmission pipes and 42km of distribution pipes, as well as service reservoirs, drainage and buildings.
Source: Supplied by African Development Bank Group (AfDB)