Azura-Edo Independent Power Plant Environmental Impact ... - IFC

income country (68 years). These statistics contribute to Nigeria’s ranking 142
(out of 169) in the HDI Index, comparable to nations such as Senegal (144),
Haiti (145) and Yemen (133), with an index value indicating low human
development. The GDP per capita is above the Sub-Saharan average but
considerably lower (approximately half) of that of an average lower-middle
income country (World Bank, 2009).
5.3 DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE
5.3.1 Population Distribution
The total population of Nigeria in 2010 was estimated to be 158.4 million, with
a population growth rate of three percent per year (World Bank, 2010).
Approximately 51 percent of the national population is male, against 49
percent female. In 2009, Nigeria reported an average life expectancy at birth of
51 years, which was broken down into a life expectancy of 50 years for men
and 52 years for women (World Bank, 2010). In 2007, the WHO reported that
70.8 percent of the population was living below the poverty line of less than
USD1 per day (WHO, 2010).
In 2010, the urban population of Nigeria was 50 percent of the total, and urban
growth was estimated at four percent – higher than the three percent annual
growth for the overall population (World Bank, 2010).
In 2010, Nigeria reported an international migrant stock of just over 1 million
people, or one percent of the total population. However, there was a net
migration of negative 300,000 (World Bank, 2010).
The official spoken language of Nigeria is English; however, a combination of
Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Fulani and over 500 additional indigenous languages are
also spoken (CIA World Factbook, 2011).
Edo State is 17,450 km 2 in area. As of the 2006 census, it had a population of
approximately 3.2 million people, of which approximately 51 percent were
male and 49 percent female. The population of Edo State is less urban than at
the national level, with roughly 67 percent of the population residing in rural
areas in 2006. However, the capital city of Benin is home to nearly a third of
the state’s population (National Nigerian Population Commission, 2006).
The proposed Project is located in Uhunmwode LGA of Edo State, which
occupies an area of 2,033 km 2 . The 2006 population of the LGA recorded
120,813 inhabitants, 53 percent of which were male and 47 percent of which
were female (National Nigerian Population Commission, 2006).
The age distribution within Edo State is skewed towards young people, with
48 percent of the population under the age of 20 (see Figure 5.3). Nevertheless,
this is lower than the national average of Nigeria, which shows that 52 percent
of the population are younger than age 20.
AZURA EDO IPP
5-7
DRAFT EIA REPORT