 |
| See who qualifies for NACCIMA's $150 million offshore expansion facility and how to apply before the window closes. |
NACCIMA's $150 Million Offshore Expansion Loan: Full Application Guide
Nigerian manufacturers, logistics operators, and ICT companies now have a genuine shot at long-term, single-digit-interest financing — something that's been in short supply for the organised private sector for years. The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has officially opened applications for its $150 million Offshore Expansion Facility, built in partnership with Frankfurt-based banking group ODDO BHF SE.
If your business operates in manufacturing, transport, agro-processing, energy, mineral beneficiation, or ICT, here's everything you need to know about eligibility, how the application actually works, and what makes this facility structurally different from a typical bank loan.
NACCIMA's $150m Offshore Expansion Facility
- - Total facility size: $150 million
- - Partner institution: ODDO BHF SE, a Frankfurt-based commercial banking group
- - Launched at: INFRACON 2026 (Nigeria Infrastructure Conference), held at the Afreximbank African Trade Centre (AATC), Abuja
- - NACCIMA leadership: Under the leadership of Jani Ibrahim
- - Committee chairman: Dr Waheed Olagunju, former Managing Director of the Bank of Industry
- - Minimum loan size: $10 million per qualified company
- - Interest rate: Single-digit, described as "patient," long-term expansion capital
- - Repayment tenure: At least 7.5 years, based on earlier framework discussions
- - Sector focus: Manufacturing (excluding defence-related industries), agro-allied processing, energy, logistics, mineral beneficiation, transportation, and ICT
- - ICT/digital economy allocation: 20% of the total facility specifically reserved for this sector
- - Mandatory equipment spend: 35–50% of the financing must go toward acquiring European machinery, equipment, or technical services
- - Application window: 60 days once the Request for Expression of Interest (REOI) portal goes live
- - First cohort size: The first 15 investment-ready companies will be selected for final credit assessment by ODDO BHF SE in Germany
What Is NACCIMA's Offshore Expansion Facility?
This facility represents one of the more structurally significant private-sector financing initiatives to emerge from Nigeria's organised business community in 2026. Rather than being a government-backed intervention fund, it's a direct partnership between NACCIMA — Nigeria's apex chamber of commerce — and ODDO BHF SE, a genuine European commercial banking group, designed to channel foreign direct investment into Nigerian companies through a formal, digitised application process.
According to NACCIMA, the platform represents a significant step toward digitising the origination of foreign direct investment for Nigeria's organised private sector — language that reflects a deliberate effort to move away from the often opaque, relationship-driven process that has historically characterized access to international financing for Nigerian businesses.
How the Partnership Developed
This facility didn't appear overnight. NACCIMA and ODDO BHF's relationship traces back to at least March 2026, when both parties held a strategic meeting at the NACCIMA Secretariat to explore a long-term financing scheme starting from $10 million, with a proposed repayment tenure of at least 7.5 years. At that stage, ODDO BHF Director Guillaume Habarugira confirmed the group's interest in supporting Nigerian enterprise development, with the qualification process designed to align with global development finance standards similar to those used by established development banks.
That early framework has now matured into a fully operational $150 million facility with a dedicated digital application portal — a five-month gap between the initial framework discussion and the public application launch that reflects the genuine due-diligence work required to structure cross-border financing at this scale.
Which Businesses Qualify?
NACCIMA has specified both the sectors eligible for funding and the sectors explicitly excluded, which is worth understanding clearly before applying.
Eligible Sectors
- - Manufacturing (with one specific exclusion — see below)
- - Agro-allied processing
- - Energy
- - Logistics
- - Mineral beneficiation
- - Transportation
- - Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Notable Exclusion
Defence-related manufacturing businesses are specifically excluded from accessing the fund — a detail that reflects standard ESG and international compliance practice for cross-border development-style financing of this nature.
The ICT Carve-Out
One structural detail worth flagging for tech-sector businesses specifically: NACCIMA has confirmed that 20% of the total $150 million facility — roughly $30 million — has been explicitly reserved for the digital economy and ICT sector. This is a deliberate allocation rather than a first-come, first-served arrangement across all sectors, meaning ICT companies aren't competing directly against manufacturing or logistics applicants for the same pool of capital.
Eligibility Requirements: What You'll Need to Qualify
This isn't an informal application process — NACCIMA has laid out a fairly rigorous set of qualification criteria that applicants need to satisfy before being considered:
- - At least three years of audited financial statements
- - Demonstrated repayment capacity
- - Compliance with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards
- - Verified membership of NACCIMA or one of its affiliated Business Membership Organisations (BMOs)
- - A minimum funding request of $10 million — this facility is not designed for small or micro-enterprises
- - Commitment to allocate 35–50% of financing specifically toward acquiring European machinery, equipment, or technical services
That last requirement is particularly important to understand, because it shapes the entire purpose of the facility: this isn't general working-capital financing. It's structured specifically to drive technology transfer — enabling Nigerian companies to acquire the European-manufactured equipment and technical expertise needed to scale production capacity and improve operational efficiency, rather than simply providing liquidity.
How the Application Process Works
Step 1: Access the Digital Portal
NACCIMA has built a dedicated Request for Expression of Interest (REOI) digital portal, unveiled at INFRACON 2026 alongside the facility itself. The platform was jointly presented by Dr Waheed Olagunju and NACCIMA's Digital Economy Coordinator, Segun Olugbile.
Step 2: Submit Within the 60-Day Window
Once the REOI portal becomes fully operational, eligible applicants have a 60-day window to submit their expressions of interest. This isn't an open-ended, rolling application process — the timeline is structured specifically to identify a defined first cohort of applicants for further review.
Step 3: Selection of the First 15 Companies
From the pool of applications received during that 60-day window, NACCIMA and ODDO BHF will identify the first 15 investment-ready companies to proceed to final credit assessment, conducted directly by ODDO BHF SE in Germany. This staged, cohort-based approach suggests the facility is being rolled out deliberately and cautiously rather than attempting to process an unlimited number of applicants simultaneously — likely reflecting the depth of due diligence required for cross-border financing of this scale.
Security and Verification
NACCIMA has emphasized that the digital application platform was built with bank-grade encryption and incorporates automated Know-Your-Customer (KYC) verification processes specifically to protect applicants' financial information. Olagunju was direct about the reasoning behind this investment in platform security: attracting world-class European investment requires digital infrastructure that inspires absolute confidence and trust — a recognition that international investors evaluating Nigerian opportunities scrutinize not just the underlying business case, but the integrity of the application and verification infrastructure itself.
Who Should Apply?
NACCIMA has specifically encouraged senior corporate decision-makers to begin the application process without delay, naming Chief Executive Officers, Managing Directors, Chief Financial Officers, and other qualified corporate executives as the intended applicants — reinforcing that this facility is designed for established, professionally managed companies with the financial documentation and governance structures needed to satisfy the eligibility criteria, rather than early-stage or informal businesses.
Why This Facility Matters for Nigeria's Private Sector
This initiative arrives against the backdrop of a persistent and well-documented challenge for Nigerian manufacturers and industrial businesses: access to long-term, affordable capital for equipment modernization and capacity expansion. Local commercial lending in Nigeria has historically carried double-digit interest rates, often making equipment financing prohibitively expensive for companies seeking to scale production or upgrade to more efficient, internationally competitive machinery.
By offering single-digit interest rates with a multi-year repayment tenure and directly tying the financing to European equipment acquisition, this facility addresses two structural gaps simultaneously: the cost of capital, and the technology gap that has limited the competitiveness of Nigerian manufacturing and processing operations on both regional and international markets.
The broader INFRACON 2026 conference, where this facility was formally unveiled, concluded with a communiqué calling for stronger public-private partnerships, greater policy consistency, and wider adoption of blended finance mechanisms — positioning NACCIMA's facility as one concrete example of exactly the kind of private-sector-led financing structure that conference sought to promote.
NACCIMA's $150 million Offshore Expansion Facility represents a genuinely structured, internationally partnered financing route for established Nigerian businesses in manufacturing, transport, energy, agro-processing, mineral beneficiation, and ICT. With a $10 million minimum, single-digit interest rates, and a firm requirement to invest a substantial share of the financing in European equipment and technology, this facility is squarely aimed at mid-to-large enterprises ready to scale — not early-stage businesses. Given the 60-day application window and the limited first cohort of just 15 companies, eligible businesses interested in applying should move quickly once the REOI portal is confirmed live.
FAQ: NACCIMA's $150m Offshore Expansion Facility
Who is eligible to apply for NACCIMA's $150m offshore expansion loan?
Businesses in manufacturing (excluding defence-related industries), agro-allied processing, energy, logistics, mineral beneficiation, transportation, and ICT, with at least three years of audited financials, demonstrated repayment capacity, ESG compliance, and verified NACCIMA or affiliated BMO membership.
What is the minimum loan amount available?
$10 million per qualified company.
What interest rate does the facility offer?
Single-digit interest rates, described by NACCIMA as "patient," long-term expansion capital.
How long is the application window?
60 days from when the Request for Expression of Interest (REOI) portal becomes fully operational.
How many companies will be selected in the first round?
The first 15 investment-ready companies will be selected for final credit assessment by ODDO BHF SE in Germany.
Is there a requirement on how the loan funds can be used?
Yes — recipients must allocate 35 to 50 percent of the financing specifically toward acquiring European machinery, equipment, or technical services.
How much of the facility is reserved for ICT and digital economy companies?
20 percent of the total $150 million facility, roughly $30 million, is specifically reserved for the digital economy and ICT sector.
Who leads the NACCIMA-ODDO BHF partnership?
Dr Waheed Olagunju, former Managing Director of the Bank of Industry, chairs the Joint NACCIMA-ODDO BHF Working Group Committee, alongside NACCIMA's Digital Economy Coordinator, Segun Olugbile.
