IllustratifBenin 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.
Justification
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
Opportunité d'investissement
Structure de l'opération
Private and PPP tranches of a national soy plan, alongside a USD 14.4m public tranche.
Utilisation des fonds
Four crushing plants, processing and storage equipment, regional marketing and a guarantee fund.
Source des revenus
Soybean oil for the domestic market and meal for the domestic and regional ECOWAS feed market.
Ce qui est recherché
Equity and debt for the four crushing plants and storage; PPP partners for a farm-to-market model, guarantee fund and quality labels.
Pourquoi le projet est bancable
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.
Données et éléments probants · 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 |
Degré de maturité et calendrier du projet
- OriginationGreenfield
- FeasibilityCurrent stage
- StructuringTo follow
- Financial closePost-diligence
- ConstructionTo follow
Principaux risques et mesures d'atténuation
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.
Conditions de l'opération
- 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
Impact sur le développement
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