IllustrativeBenin Soy Investment Plan
Benin · NationwideAgro-processing · Soy, grain and crushing
A national plan to process Benin's 652,000-tonne soy crop at home, with four crushing plants totalling 126,000 tonnes a year of oil and meal against imported vegetable oil, in a USD 47.96m programme with private and PPP tranches open to investors.
Rationale
Benin imports 80 billion CFA francs of vegetable oil a year, while less than 40% of its soy is processed locally.¹ The crop is already grown, 652,454 tonnes in 2024, but crushing capacity is almost absent, so most soy leaves Benin unprocessed.
- Plants
- Four crushing plants
- Capacity
- 126,000 t/yr in total
- Products
- Soybean oil and meal
- Market
- Domestic oil; domestic and ECOWAS feed meal
Investment opportunity
Transaction structure
Private and PPP tranches of a national soy plan, alongside a USD 14.4m public tranche.
Use of funds
Four crushing plants, processing and storage equipment, regional marketing and a guarantee fund.
Revenue basis
Soybean oil for the domestic market and meal for the domestic and regional ECOWAS feed market.
The ask
Equity and debt for the four crushing plants and storage; PPP partners for a farm-to-market model, guarantee fund and quality labels.
Why it is bankable
Benin imports 80 billion CFA francs of vegetable oil a year, while less than 40% of its soy is processed locally.¹
Production of 652,454 tonnes in 2024; the main pole holds 34% of national output on 200,000 ha of soy.
Meal and oil demand is growing across ECOWAS, a market of 400 million people, reached through the Port of Cotonou.
Crushing capacity is almost absent today, so most soy leaves Benin unprocessed.
Data and evidence · Benin soy: today vs 2030 target
| National, 2024 | Target with the plan, 2030 | |
|---|---|---|
| Grain production | 652,454 tonnes | 1,000,000 tonnes |
| Market value | USD 296.6m | USD 454.5m |
| Local processing | Under 40%; crushing almost absent | 126,000 t/yr in four plants |
| Yield | 1.1 t/ha | Potential 2.5–3 t/ha |
Project readiness and timeline
- OriginationGreenfield
- FeasibilityCurrent stage
- StructuringTo follow
- Financial closePost-diligence
- ConstructionTo follow
Key risks and mitigants
Not contracted; two products and markets, domestic oil replacing imports and meal for the ECOWAS feed market.
The crop is already grown at scale; the public tranche funds 700 t of certified seed, research and rural roads.
Four plants to deliver; plant sites and specifications are released in the Tier 2 data room.
Transaction terms
- Offtaker
- Domestic and regional oil and meal buyers
- Contract status
- Not contracted
- Instrument sought
- Blended: equity and debt
- Structure
- Public, private and PPP tranches within a national value-chain plan
- Technology
- Industrial soybean crushing for vegetable oil and meal
- Capacity
- 126,000 t/yr crushing capacity, across four plants
- Location
- Benin; site under NDA
- WAIIS pillar
- Agribusiness & Food Systems
Development impact
Livelihoods
5,500 direct beneficiaries among growers, seed producers, processors and traders, and 21,300 indirect.¹
Incomes
Average income per inhabitant projected to rise by about 25%.¹
Climate
Net emissions estimated at minus 3,970 tCO2e a year.¹