The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have agreed to support the new Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) with $70 million.
EIB put in an equity stake of $20 million to finance the bank, while AfDB put in $50 million as equity participation.
A statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday showed that the reason behind the contribution was to strengthen lending for business and agriculture investment in the country.
The Development Bank of Nigeria has been created to provide funding and risk sharing facilities to micro, small and medium enterprises as well as small corporates, by the federal government. The bank is also to address financing challenges hindering private sector investment in the country.
According to the statement, at present, new investments essential for companies to expand and create jobs are hindered by limited access to commercial banks. It is estimated by the Development Bank of Nigeria that only five per cent of the 37 million entrepreneurs and small businesses in Nigeria that contribute 50 per cent of GDP can access credit in the financial system.
The Vice-President of the EIB, Ambroise Fayolle, said his bank is pleased to support DBN to enhance private sector investments in Nigeria.
"New private sector investment is crucial to create jobs and enable business to expand and limited access to long-term financing holds back economic growth. The European Investment Bank is pleased to support the new Development Bank of Nigeria to strengthen private-sector investment in Africa’s largest economy.
"We look forward to continued close cooperation with Nigerian and international partners to ensure that once fully operational, the new Development Bank of Nigeria can help harness the country’s economic potential," he said.
The Director of the Financial Sector Development Department of the AfDB, Stephen Nalletamby, said there has been an under-performance of private sector businesses in Nigeria which has undermined their contribution to economic growth as private sector businesses are critical to the development of the Nigerian economy."Private sector businesses are critical to the development of the Nigerian economy as they possess huge potential for employment generation and output diversification. Nevertheless, there has been an under-performance of […]