By Salimata Dia

On January 19, 2023, the Trade Hub participated in the inauguration of Koudijs’ new animal feed mill in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The production unit located in the new industrial zone of PK24 Attinguié, municipality of Anyama, Abidjan, will help reduce the imports of animal feed and lower input costs for livestock producers. 

In February 2022, the USAID-Funded West Africa Trade & Investment Hub awarded Koudijs Côte d’Ivoire – SARL a co-investment grants of $799,335 to ensure the production of high-quality animal feed, food safety, and the development of independent livestock farmers in the local market. As part of the project and partnership, Koudijs will leverage $14.5 million in private capital for the construction of a new animal feed mill in Abidjan, with a total processing capacity of 120,000 metric tons (MT)/year.

With the completion of its animal feed processing factory, Koudijs projects to create 138 direct jobs, expand its production capacity for animal feed to meet the growing demand, and reach new markets in West Africa. The factory will process 120,000MT of poultry and livestock feed available to farmers each year. It is expected that the animal nutrition sector in the country will increase its capacity to feed 32 million of the 82 million chicks produced daily in Côte d’Ivoire.

Though completed in October 2022, the factory was officially launched in January 2023. The launch event highlighted the importance of creating a more independent, self-sufficient, and resilient food system in the production of animal feed for poultry and livestock in the country and region as a whole. The event was attended by stakeholders across different sectors including the Minister of Animal Resources and Fisheries, Mr. Sidi Tiemoko Toure; Minister of Trade, Industry and Promotion of SMEs, Mr. Souleymane Diarrassouba; Group CEO of Royal De Heus, Mr. Koen De Heus; Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Côte d’Ivoire, Mrs. Yvette Daoud, the Interim Country Representative of USAID/Côte d’Ivoire, Mrs. Ewa Piotrowska; Director Economic Growth Office, Mrs Anne Judith Bisso; and  Private Sector and Trade Specialist, Mr. Guigui Pythagore Legbré Charles. After the official launch and speeches, the dignitaries were given a tour of the plant.

Group photo: Koudijs management team, Minister of Animal Resources and Fisheries, Mr. Sidi Tiemoko Toure; Minister of Trade, Industry and Promotion of SMEs, Mr. Souleymane Diarrassouba; Group CEO of Royal De Heus, Mr. Koen De Heus; and Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Côte d’Ivoire, Mrs. Yvette Daoud, at the launch of Koudijs new animal feed plant. Photo Credit: Koudijs

To run the factory successfully, Koudijs will source a cumulative 96,000 MT of raw materials up till 2024 from local suppliers, which will provide them with additional annual revenues of up to $24 million. The project is expected to generate an annual revenue of $54 million for the company by 2024, of which 3-5 percent will be from regional exports, particularly to Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, and possibly Guinee, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.