The Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries (Norfund) has announced a $7.4m investment in Verde Beef Processing, an Ethiopian beef producer.

“This is our first direct investment in Ethiopia, and Norfund is delighted to contribute to Ethiopia’s growth and export through Verde Beef”, said Kjell Roland, Managing Director of Norfund.

“This investment is focused on employment creation and export and fits very well with our strategy to contribute to sustainable enterprises and economic development in Africa,” he said.

Verde Beef Processing (VBP) is an integrated beef producer that undertakes feed production and feedlotting activities.

The company produces premium beef and aims to become the largest cattle processing operation in Eastern Africa with a target output of more than 130,000 carcasses per year.

The capital provided by Norfund will help VBP achieve that goal by enabling the construction of a state of the art abattoir and meat processing facility – currently underway – and also to fund working capital for the business.

8 Miles - a UK based pan-African private equity fund - made an initial investment into VBP in November 2015.

VBP has a significant cost advantage over its international competition, and is expanding its feedlot operation in Ethiopia to capitalize on this; producing high-quality beef for export and local markets.

Ethiopia’s geographical positioning combined with its livestock population, the largest in Africa and the 6th largest in the world, position the country perfectly as a potential provider of meat to the rapidly expanding markets of the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) and Gulf states (GCC).

The beef farm is located in Adami Tulu district of the Oromia regional state, Ziway Ethiopia, close to the new railway line to Djibouti.

The company is part of the agricultural transformation in Ethiopia and has been instrumental in the development of the surrounding community through purchase of calves and inputs for feed.

The company has today created over 400 jobs directly on the farm with the skills upgrading that is needed for competing in the global beef market. In addition more than 3500 jobs has been created indirectly through local sourcing of calves and feed inputs.

As the company expands, this numbers will grow, and is anticipated to reach 2000 employees and supporting over 50,000 livelihoods when the company reaches full operation.

VBP also supports the Ethiopian economy by creating a premium product with local resources, which is then exported, generating much needed foreign currency.  

Scott Friesen, Chairman and Co-founder of Verde Beef Processing, said: “We’re excited about the partnership with Norfund which will enable us to provide incomes to thousands more families annually, generate $18m of revenues in 2018, and reaching an export value of $100m annually by 2021 and further develop the important meat sector in Ethiopia.”

“Verde Beef is a critical project that is aligned with the Ethiopian government focus on job creation, increasing exports and introducing improvements to the agricultural sector,” he said.