EU, FMO, FCMB, sign $25m bond to boost funding for Nigerian entrepreneurs
The European Union, Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, FMO and Nigeria’s First City Monument Bank (FCMB) have signed a $25 million NASIRA guarantee agreement, for Nigerian entrepreneurs.
The EU Deputy Director General, Directorate of International Partnerships (INTPA), Myriam Ferran, at the side-lines of the 9th Nigeria EU Business Forum, yesterday in Abuja, said the guarantee will enable FCMB to expand its funding to agricultural, youth, and women-owned SMEs without requiring collateral, targeting a client group typically deemed too risky by banks.
Funded by the European Commission, Ferran said NASIRA is one of FMO’s most innovative programmes, encouraging local banks to extend their funding to small entrepreneurs without collateral.
According to her, the FMO guarantee – that effectively replaces the collateral – is not fully utilised, demonstrating that entrepreneurs, primarily women and young people, are not riskier than others.
She stressed that job creation in Nigeria, home to 220 million people and the largest population in Africa, is critical.
“The country faces severe economic challenges, including high unemployment and a significant 70% depreciation of its currency over the past year.
“Providing small loans to typically high-risk groups will enable them to start and expand their businesses, offering a means of income for themselves and their families.
‘In addition to the USD 25 million NASIRA guarantee, FMO will support FCMB with a syndicated loan of USD 60 million: USD 20 million through FMO, USD 30 million through the European Financing Platform on behalf of BIO, DEG, EIB, FINNFUND, Proparco, and SWEDFUND, and USD 10 million through FMO Investment Management.
“The loan is dedicated to growing the existing FCMB loan portfolio of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs (SMEs).
“We are very happy to see that the EU investment instruments, such as the European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD+) guarantees, have come to Nigeria to play a catalytic role in leveraging private sector investments for the benefit of the real sector, economic diversification and employment creation, especially for youth and women,” she said.
She explained that the transaction also contains a technical assistance programme, in which the initiative, FCMB and FMO will select and support 15 scalable early-stage agri-tech businesses in Nigeria.
“Together, FMO and FCMB will identify 15 disruptive business models that address pressing problems in the agricultural sector, contributing to SDG2: zero hunger and food security,” she added.
