AFC Arranges Funding for 1.8m Tonnes Methanol Plant in Akwa Ibom, Set to Generate 18,000 Jobs

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), the continent’s leading infrastructure solutions provider, is arranging a project development facility to support Africa’s largest gas-to-methanol plant, the organisation has said.

Stressing this in a statement, the AFC said that this is with the aim of significantly reducing CO2 emissions by offsetting flaring of natural gas and turning it instead into a valuable chemical for solvents, paints, plastics and car parts.

“The project in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria, targets producing an initial 1.8 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of methanol, diversifying the local economy and generating over 18,000 jobs,” the corporation added.

AFC said it had committed development stage financing to de-risk the project and enable it reach financial close, along with providing financial advisory services to the sponsors to raise the required project financing and support successful delivery of the transformational project.

The venture is led by Blackrose, a project development and investment firm, and co-developed with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, which are co-financing alongside AFC.

“Most of Nigeria’s 200 cubic feet of natural gas reserves – the largest in Africa, accounting for a third of the continent’s total – remain unexploited, presenting a substantial opportunity to bolster the country’s natural resource beneficiation and enhance climate resilience,” it stressed.

Gas flaring has been a significant hazard for local people since the beginning of oil production, emitting chemicals linked to respiratory and other health issues.

In his comments, the Chief Executive AFC, Samaila Zubairu, said: “This innovative project is transforming an immense negative for Nigerians into a very significant positive by harnessing this country’s abundant gas reserves as a unique opportunity to become a global leader in low-carbon manufacturing and energy systems.

“This strategic collaboration with Blackrose and IFC underscores our dedication to supporting Africa’s pragmatic transition to net zero, emphasising rapid industrialisation, local job creation, and socio-economic advancement through the production of methanol, a versatile and low-carbon industrial feedstock.”

The project will be implemented in two phases, each with an installed capacity of 1.8 MTPA, the organisation said.

Phase one, it said, will produce low-carbon methanol, an industrial chemical essential to the manufacturing of hundreds of everyday products, including solvents for the pharmaceutical industry, paints, plastics, automobile parts and construction materials.

 “This is also a lower emissions alternative fuel used in hard-to-decarbonise sectors such as shipping and industrial boilers, with applications for cooking stoves and fuel cell solutions.

“Phase two of the project will expand methanol production to include ammonia, a critical feedstock for fertiliser production,” the AFC pointed out.

It stated that methanol is produced using synthetic gas predominantly from coal and natural gas, explaining that by utilising best-in-class energy efficient production methods, the plant will achieve a much lower net carbon intensity.

According to the AFC, this is when compared to traditional methanol synthesis techniques, while also reducing CO2 emissions by converting gas that would otherwise have been flared.

“Additionally, the project incorporates plans for carbon capture and offset strategies as well as the use of external hydrogen to bring targets even closer to carbon neutrality.

“Once operational, the gas-to-methanol plant is expected to generate more than 2,500 local jobs during the construction phase and a further 16,000 jobs indirectly by catalysing manufacturing activity and economic diversification,” the corporation noted.

AFC has 43 member countries and has invested $13 billion across Africa since inception.