Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says he expects improved operational capacity following the acquisition of the Afam Power Plc and Afam Three Fast Power Limited (jointly referred to as “Afam GenCo”) by Transcorp Consortium.
Transcorp completed the 100 per cent take over on Thursday for around N105.3 billion at the State House, Abuja in the presence of the VP and Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc.
In his remark, Osinbajo, said, “Today marks a milestone for the country with a return to private sector investment in the power sector. This investment by Transcorp in acquiring ‘Afam Power Plc’ and ‘Afam Three Fast Power’ is the first of many new investments planned in the sector across the value chain. We expect that under Transcorp’s ownership, the operational capacity of the facility will be raised to its full capacity.”
The Vice President further stated, “We have seen the progress that Transcorp has made with the Ughelli Power Plant in raising the operational capacity significantly, since it acquired the plant in 2013, and we expect nothing less from the Afam acquisitions. We have no doubt that the addition of Transcorp to the Afam community, will come with the forward thinking Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives that Tony and his team are known for. This transaction is a confirmation of the reform trajectory the Administration is leading in the power sector.”
Speaking on Transcorp’s track record, the Director-General of the BPE, Alex Okoh, said “Transcorp Consortium is one of the success stories of Nigeria’s Privatisation Programme. Through its investments in Transcorp Hotels Plc and Transcorp Ughelli Power Limited, the consortium has consistently achieved its performance targets as contained in the respective post-acquisition plans.”
Elumelu, on his part, commended the federal government for the role it played in making the acquisition a reality. “Bringing affordable, dependable power to the Nigerian people is core to Transcorp’s mission. Our significant investments in the power sector are demonstrations of our contribution to the economic transformation that I know Nigeria is capable of.
“Power remains the single most critical factor for lifting our people out of poverty and job creation for our teaming youth. The acquisition marks a significant milestone for Transcorp in the pursuit of its corporate purpose of improving lives and transforming Nigeria. I am honoured to be working with the Federal Government and urge it to continue its policy of creating an enabling environment, that sustains the confidence of both local and foreign investors – and delivers the opportunities and aspirations that all Nigerians seek”.
Afam Power is a 1,000MW capacity power plant.
