Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) is arranging a project development facility to support the continent’s largest gas-to-methanol plant. AFC is a leading infrastructure solutions provider in Africa.
The gas-to-methanol plant, once operational, 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 project is expected to significantly reduce CO2 emissions by offsetting the flaring of natural gas and turning it instead into a valuable chemical for solvents, paints, plastics and car parts.
According to the AFC, 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.
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AFC has committed development financing to de-risk the project and enable it to reach financial close, along with providing financial advisory services to the sponsors to raise the required project financing and support the successful delivery of this 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 is 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. 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.
“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,” said Samaila Zubairu, president/CEO of AFC.
“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.”
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The project will be implemented in two phases, each with an installed capacity of 1.8 MTPA. Phase one 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.
Methanol is produced using synthetic gas predominantly from coal and natural gas.
