What you need to know about Nigeria’s $1.2bn export loan from Brazil

(Premium Times, Abuja, 9 November 2020) The Nigerian government has announced it plans to obtain a $1.2 billion (N459 billion) loan from Brazil. Funding for the programme will come from the Development Bank of Brazil and Deutsche Bank, with insurance provided by the Brazilian Guarantees and Fund Managements Agency and the Islamic Corporation for Insurance of Export Credit of the Islamic Development Bank, and will be coordinated by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation. The programme will import the completely knocked down parts of about 5,000 tractors and numerous implements (for local assembly) annually for a period of 10 years. The Minister said the Nigerian government would acquire 100,000 hectares of land in each state for food production, adding that link roads would be built in such locations to provide access for farmers to move farm produce to markets and reduce post-harvest losses. On another ECA note, the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) says it is positioning the economy for post crisis performance to be mindful of the fact that fiscal resources are urgently needed to contain the fallout of the COVID-19 outbreak and stimulate the economy. In that regard, the bank is proactively making interventions by way of investment in the manufacturing or production of exportable products – where Nigeria has comparative advantage – with the aim of providing buffer for the economy.