Standard Chartered Private Equity Limited (www.standardchartered.com) recently announced $47.5million investment for a minority stake in Seven Energy (www.sevenenergy.com), a leading Nigerian gas exploration and development company, according to a report in Nigeria’s Vanguard newspaper.
Seven Energy was formed in 2007 and is focused on the provision of gas to leading industrial firms in Nigeria. Standard Chartered envisages that, in the medium term, the investment will Seven Energy’s existing management team in its drive as a pioneer and consolidator within Nigeria’s gas industry.
Christopher Knight, the Managing Director/ CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited was reported as saying: “We are proud to invest in Seven Energy as Seven’s value proposition is uniquely hinged on the monetization of Nigeria’s substantial gas reserves to meet the country’s growing energy needs. Our established footprint in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, along with our long history of supporting trade flows to and from these regions, places us in a unique position to provide vital funding to growing companies in growing economies.”
According to the report, Dr Yemi Osindero, Head of Standard Chartered Nigeria’s private equity business, says: “This will be an active year for us in Nigeria. We have long term equity capital available to assist good companies that want to accelerate growth. We also have a knowledgeable team to assist the management and shareholders of our investee companies to achieve their objectives.” Dr. Osindero will join the board of Seven Energy.
Marlon Chigwende, Head of Standard Chartered’s African Private Equity business, says: “We will continue to invest equity capital in strong businesses and management teams across the African continent. After a year of turmoil in the international debt markets, we see a clear need for committed equity to support growth.”
Standard Chartered Plc, headquartered in London and listed on both London and Hong Kong stock exchanges, ranks among the top 25 companies in the FTSE-100 by market capitalization. It has operated for over 150 years in some of the world’s most dynamic markets, leading the way in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its income and profits have more than doubled over the last five years, primarily as a result of organic growth.