By Ikenna Omeje

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of a Public Private Partnership styled Infrastructure company named Infra-Co to address infrastructure deficit in the country.

The company, which will take off with an initial seed capital of N1 Trillion, is expected to grow to N15 Trillion in assets and capital over time, a release by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity (Office of the Vice President), Laolu Akande has said.

“Infra-Co will be one of the premier infrastructure finance entities in Africa and will be wholly dedicated to Nigeria’s infrastructure development. The entity has been developed with concept designs from the National Economic Council (NEC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria. 

“The President had asked Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, to chair a Steering Committee tasked with setting up the company. 

“The initial seed capital for the entity will come from the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, NSIA, and the Africa Finance Corporation,” the release stated. 

According the release, the board of Infra-Co will be chaired by the Central Bank Governor and include the Managing Director of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, President of the Africa Finance Corporation, as well as representatives of the Nigerian Governors Forum, and the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning. The Board will also have 3 independent directors from the private sector. 

To address Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit, the Buhari Administration continues to explore innovative options, including through financing initiatives such as the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) designed to cater for the 2nd Niger Bridge, the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway, and other projects. 

There is also the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme which is being used for the funding of the Bodo-Bonny Bridges and Road (with the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG), and the Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonshoki Expressway (with Dangote Group), among others. 

Infra-Co will finance public asset development, rehabilitation and reconstruction as well as invest in cutting edge infrastructure projects for Roads, Rail, Power and other key sectors.