Nigeria demands disclosure of $2.5 billion JBS deal — Premium Times Nigeria
A coalition of civil society organizations in Nigeria has called on the government to disclose the memorandum of understanding with JBS regarding proposed investments of $2.5 billion. Coalition members also demand the disclosure of related contracts, financing terms, state incentives, and environmental and social impact assessments for the project.
As Premium Times Nigeria reports, the demands were adopted following a three-day workshop in Abuja held on September 22–24. The coalition included civil society organizations, associations of farmers and livestock keepers, youth and women’s groups, as well as environmental organizations and animal rights advocates.
A project with six facilities
JBS and the Nigerian government signed the memorandum in November 2024. The agreement concerns a proposed five-year investment project involving the construction of six meat-processing facilities: three for poultry processing, two for beef processing, and one for pork processing.
The company was to conduct feasibility studies, prepare preliminary designs, budget estimates, and a supply chain development plan. Nigerian authorities, for their part, were to provide the economic, sanitary, and regulatory conditions for implementing the project. JBS said the investment was intended to strengthen food security, develop local supply chains, and reduce the country’s dependence on food imports.
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Representatives of Niger State, according to the outlet, said that about 1.2 million hectares of land could be allocated for the project. The coalition said its requests for access to information, sent to the federal Ministry of Livestock Development and relevant agencies in Ogun and Niger states, did not yield the requested documents.
Demands on land and environmental safeguards
The organizations demand that independent environmental and social impact assessments be conducted and published before any further land allocation or the start of construction. They also insist on meaningful engagement with communities that may be affected by the project and on their free, prior, and informed consent.
The coalition believes that large-scale industrial livestock farming could worsen problems involving waste, groundwater and air pollution, biodiversity loss, and greenhouse gas emissions. Members of the coalition also expressed concern about public health risks, including antimicrobial resistance in intensive animal-rearing systems.
The groups called on Nigeria’s parliament and state legislatures to hold public hearings on the JBS deal and the implementation of the National Livestock Transformation Plan and the Nigerian Livestock Development Master Plan for 2026–2040.
