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Final day in Nigeria sees events to mark local presence of iconic Irish brands Kerrygold, Guinness and Kerry Ingredients

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney T.D. today concluded the Nigerian leg of his West Africa trade mission with events to mark the presence of leading Irish brands Kerrygold, Guinness and Kerry Ingredients in Nigeria. These events marked the final leg of the visit in Lagos, the Nigerian business capital, before the trade mission moves to Ghana later today where the Minister will hold high level bilateral talks with his Ghanaian counterpart.

Commenting at the conclusion of his Nigerian visit Minister Coveney said “this week has really highlighted the opportunity for Irish companies in this huge market and I am delighted to be present to witness some of the business being advanced in the agri-food, ICT, energy and education sectors. The Nigerian-Irish relationship is one going back many decades now but in my opinion contains significant room for further growth”.

“On his final day in Lagos, the Minister officially launched a new brand of Guinness called Guinness Africa Special and opened a new facility for Ornua. At the Guinness launch event the Minister said “I am delighted to be able to attend the launch of such an iconic brand. Guinness has gone from strength to strength in this exciting market”.

Guinness Nigeria has had a long and successful history in Nigeria. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the company. Its brewery, established in 1962, was the first ever Guinness brewery outside the British Isles. Half of Guinness global sales are in sub Saharan Africa, which is the fastest growing beer market in the world. After Ireland, Nigeria is the largest market for Guinness stout. Guinness Nigeria Plc provides direct employment for over 1500 full time employees and over 700 temporary staff. It also provides a source of income for thousands who operate in the distribution chain including distributors, logistics operators and wholesalers. Guinness Nigeria also imports Guinness Flavour Extract manufactured in St. James’ Gate Dublin, valued at around €60 million per annum.

The new facility for Ornua will process Irish milk into powdered products under the Kerrygold brand for sale in the West African market. Commenting on this event, the Minister said “The opening of this facility and the local employment and investment which it brings are great to see and emphasise just how Irish-Nigerian collaboration can work to the benefit of both sides. This new facility represents the perfect example of adding value from raw Irish products and provides the practical example of the vision behind our national agriculture development strategy, Food Wise 2025”.

The Minister also attended event at the Kerry Ingredients facility as well. Commenting on these events the Minister said, “Kerrygold, Guinness and Kerry Ingredients are all iconic Irish brands and their investments in Nigeria are the latest of a series of major global investments for these companies. As an Irish Minister for Agriculture I am always proud to see sustainably produced premium Irish products and brands on sale all over the world. These facilities provide routes to market for Irish products. Such routes to market are the lifeblood of the Irish agri-food sector and these trade missions are key to unlocking some of the potential for Irish companies”.

Minister Coveney said he had extended an invitation to both the Nigerian Minister for Agriculture and to the representative body of the Nigerian agri-food industry to visit Ireland in the near future. “I think that such a visit to Ireland could build on the very good relationships we have established with key players this week”, the Minister said.

After departing Lagos, the trade mission moves to Ghana where the Minister will hold high-level bilateral talks with his Ghanaian counterpart, Hon. Fifi Kwetey, Minister for Food and Agriculture. Ghana is a significant market for Irish meat with exports of €8m of Irish beef last year and €2m of Irish poultry. This makes Ghana one of the leading beef export destinations outside the EU after the US, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.

Minister Coveney said “I am very pleased to be here in Ghana this week, a country which is now firmly established as one of our key trading partners. It has particularly grown in significance in recent years such that it is now one of our primary non-EU export destinations. The next two days here will be about exploring further opportunities for cooperation between Ghana and Ireland across a range of sectors from agro-food to energy to education”.