Transaction origination, structuring, and execution for financial sponsors, corporate principals, and family capital operating across African and international markets.
The private markets advisory desk occupies a specific position in the African financial landscape. We do not compete with the global bulge-bracket banks on tombstone volume, nor do we operate as a generalist Nigerian investment bank selling every product to every client.
Instead, the practice is built around sponsor coverage — serving financial sponsors, corporate principals, family capital, and institutional allocators on transactions where structural rigor, counterparty credibility, and African market depth each carry independent weight.
The work is senior-led, confidential, and sector-concentrated. Every engagement is originated, structured, and executed by a principal of the firm. We do not operate a junior pipeline staffing transactions with leverage we do not have.
Four core service lines, each structured to a specific class of transaction. The desk's strength is in cross-border work where multiple service lines converge.
Sell-side processes for corporate exits, carve-outs, and sponsor dispositions. Buy-side representation for strategic acquirers and financial sponsors pursuing African assets. Take-private transaction architecture for listed industrials, including management-led sponsor-backed structures.
Private placements for growth-stage and mature private companies. Sponsor-side fundraising support for fund managers targeting African allocation. LP introductions to institutional Africa-focused private equity, development finance institutions, and strategic corporate capital.
Senior secured facility structuring for vessel acquisition, upstream asset development, and downstream petroleum infrastructure. Omnibus facility drafting, capital stack design, and lender arrangement with Tier-1 Nigerian and international banks. Active engagement with regulatory finance vehicles including the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund.
Leveraged buyout structuring with senior, mezzanine, and equity layering. Cross-border facility architecture involving Nigerian onshore lenders, international DFI capital, and offshore holding structures. Commodity-linked credit for trading counterparties requiring working capital against physical cargo flows.
The practice is deliberately sector-concentrated. Depth in a defined set of verticals permits pattern recognition on counterparties, regulatory posture, and transaction structure that generalist coverage cannot replicate.
| Energy | Upstream asset transactions, downstream infrastructure financing, refining-adjacent capital raises, and commodity-linked credit. |
| Maritime | Vessel acquisition facilities, shipping company capital structuring, CVFF-track financing, and cross-border lender arrangements. |
| Industrials | Take-private transactions, management buyouts, industrial platform roll-ups, and sponsor-backed growth equity. |
| Agribusiness | Processing and export-oriented capital structures, commodity-backed credit, and cross-border joint venture formation. |
| Financial services | Selective advisory work for sponsors pursuing Nigerian and West African financial institutions, asset managers, and specialty lenders. |
The firm operates on a four-stage engagement model. The sequence is consistent across transaction types; depth and duration scale with mandate complexity.
A confidential conversation with a senior principal to assess mandate fit, transaction feasibility, and alignment of objectives. Typically conducted under a reciprocal non-disclosure arrangement. No engagement fee applies at this stage.
Formal engagement is documented in a written letter specifying scope, deliverables, fee architecture (retainer, success fee, or hybrid), and timeline. Mandates are structured as either exclusive or non-exclusive depending on transaction type. All fees and conditions are agreed in writing before work commences.
The firm's principals lead all material workstreams — financial modeling, legal structuring, counterparty engagement, diligence management, and documentation. External counsel, accountants, and specialist advisors are engaged selectively and coordinated through the firm.
Transaction closing includes documentation finalization, signing logistics, and any regulatory filings required for completion. The firm maintains relationship continuity with clients post-closing, including introductions, follow-on structuring, and ongoing intelligence support.
The firm does not publish rigid fee schedules. Each mandate is priced to transaction complexity, timeline, and the depth of execution required. That said, the firm operates on a consistent fee architecture across engagement types.
Retainer. A monthly retainer applies for the duration of active work. Retainer levels scale with mandate intensity and are typically creditable against success fees.
Success fee. Transaction completion fees are structured on conventional industry terms, typically as a percentage of transaction value with customary Lehman-formula tiering for larger transactions.
Reimbursables. External counsel, travel, and specialist advisor fees are charged at cost, with prior approval for items above a defined threshold.
On engagement thresholds — the desk does not publish a formal minimum. In practice, engagements below USD 10 million are accepted selectively where strategic or relationship considerations support the work. The desk's typical operating range is transactions above USD 25 million.
For a confidential conversation on a specific transaction or advisory need, submit an inquiry through the form below. A senior principal will respond within forty-eight hours.
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