BoI, French agency sign €2.5m sponsorship deal

The Bank of Industry (BoI) and the French Development Agency (AFD) have signed a grant agreement for €2.5 million (about N1.23 billion) delegated by the Green Climate Fund to fight climate change in Nigeria.

A statement said though the grant agreement sets up a technical assistance scheme for BoI, the grant was designed to build the capacity of BoI, thereby providing tools for the effective identification and development of eligible bankable climate-related projects, as well as improving the readiness of the bank’s customers to implement green practices in their operations.

In this context, it stated, the implementation of the Environment and Social Governance framework provided for in the credit agreement would be an important part of the technical assistant mandate.

The statement recalled that last August, BoI and AFD signed a €100 million (about N49.2 billion) credit line for the expansion of green finance in Nigeria. This was approved under AFD’s Transforming Financial Systems for Climate (TFSC) programme with the Green Climate Fund (GCF), a $650 million-programme developed in 17 countries for 100 percent climate investment projects.

It stated that the TFSC programme focused on financing investments that contribute to climate change mitigation or adaptation, specifically projects focused on renewable energy, low carbon, and efficient energy generation, climate-smart agriculture technologies, clean urban transportation, and others.

At the grant agreement signing ceremony, BoI’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer Mr Olukayode Pitan said: “Given the serious threat that climate change poses to equitable and sustainable development in Nigeria, it is critical for us at BoI to take the lead in mobilizing capital for green and sustainable investment.

“In addition to the line of credit, the €2.5 million technical assistance funds will support capacity building for BOI and its customers, thereby enabling the scaling of current efforts by BoI towards climate change mitigation and adaptation. This will contribute significantly to reducing Nigeria’s carbon footprint.

“With specific reference to gender equality, the technical assistant will support BoI in the development and implementation of professional gender equality and gender lens investing policies”.

Pitan acknowledged the dedication of AFD, the GCF, and its strategic partners to ensure a smooth and efficient implementation of this deal.

He said: “BOI welcomes its partnership with the AFD and GCF as it continues to implement the Federal Government’s policies with respect to climate finance. We commend the professional approach adopted by these partners in delivering this technical assistance package.

“We are confident it will enhance BOI and its customers’ capacity and readiness for climate finance. We believe this is the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial relationship”.

Bearing in mind the Paris agreement, AFD Country Director, Mr Xavier Muron recognized BoI’s commitment to embedding sustainability in its business practices to drive strategic social, economic, and environmental impact in the communities the bank serves.

Muron appreciated the strong relationship BoI and AFD have been building and look forward to further supporting the BoI in its activities towards achieving the SDGs.