How has de-dollarisation, currency depreciation, and increased reliance on the Naira impacted Nigeria’s long-term debt outlook?

Mr. Tony Esene is the Group Head, Corporate Finance of the Dangote Group with responsibility for capital raising and other capital market activities of the Group. Tony joined the Dangote Group in 2005 and has been at the forefront of the landmark financial market transactions that have largely contributed to the tremendous transformation of the Group in the past 15 years. He oversaw the unbundling of the Group into separate stand-alone companies and the stock exchange listing of the resultant companies. The financing of the massive national and international expansion of the cement business was under his care. He is currently leading the financing of the Group’s greenfield oil refinery and fertilizer projects which involves the raising of over $6 billion in debt capital. Before joining the Dangote Group, Tony had a successful investment banking career spanning three reputable investment banks in Nigeria – Liberty Bank Plc, MBC International Bank Ltd and NAL Bank Plc – during which period he handled several transactions in financial advisory services, mergers & acquisitions and capital market issues. Tony understands very well the regulatory environment for raising capital (equity and debt) from the Nigerian Capital Market. Tony holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agronomy from the University of Ibadan and an MBA (with specialization in Finance) from the University of Benin.

Oguche is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp). In this role he leads the efforts of c $ 28 billion pension industry Nigeria in engaging the regulators, the media, financial markets and other stakeholders in order to ensure that the interests of the pension industry and pension operators are protected and promoted and also in ensuring that the pension industry has a positive effect on National Development.

Oguche was previously Nigeria’s Regional Director for OurCrowd, a crowd funding and venture capital firm with headquarters in Israel. He was also previously the Chief Investment Officer/Executive Director of a growing integrated real estate and alternative asset management company.

Prior to this, he worked as a Special adviser to Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment. His portfolio was “Access to Finance”. In this role, he advised on and implemented policies, strategies and programmes that could help to increase access to finance for Nigeria’s teeming entrepreneurs.

Prior to this, he worked with Standard Chartered Bank as an associate Director in their Lagos office, where he was in charge of the credit quality of a portfolio of assets worth USD 7 billion dollars. This included various loan products and derivatives to banks, the government and sovereign owned enterprises (SOEs) in Nigeria. In Standard Chartered, he had short term assignments in South Africa and London, working in the Risk management, Credit and Corporate Finance functions. In Standard Chartered Bank he held various roles spanning operations, Risk management & Credit, financial institutions and strategy.

He possesses a degree in Banking and finance from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers Nigeria and an associate of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers Nigeria.

He is an avid writer and he has a column in some local and international mediums where he writes and advices on strategy, finance, entrepreneurship and emerging markets.

He is deeply involved in community work, as he mentors a group of volunteers, focusing on building global businesses and leaders out of Nigeria.

He is a firm believer in Nigeria, married to his best friend and they have two boisterous children.

He has been privileged to experience life as an entrepreneur, a policy maker and an employee in a world class organization operating in an emerging market. These varied circumstances have enabled him to appreciate life and business from different perspectives arming him with a unique blend of the excellence and business acumen of the private sector and the social impact objective of the public sector.

Pabina is the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at Sigma Pensions Limited, a Tier I Pension Fund Administrator in Nigeria with over $1 billion assets under management (AUM). His role involves articulating the investment strategies for 15 funds under management. Pabina has over 15 years’ experience in investment advisory, institutional research, financial strategy, and portfolio management. He has been a core member of various Investment Strategy Committees and part of a team that introduced Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) to the Nigerian Market. Before joining Sigma Pensions, Pabina was Director, Institutional Business at Vetiva Capital Management. He has also previously held positions as Head of Research and Strategy at the Asset Management Division at Access Bank Plc, and at Afrinvest (West Africa) Limited. He holds an MBA from the Lagos Business School.​

Dolu is an Executive of the Standard Bank Group and the Head of Corporate Financing Solutions at Stanbic IBTC Capital, a member of Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC where he oversees the provision of debt solutions to clients across key sectors of the Nigerian economy. His transactional experience spans project finance, acquisition finance, expansion finance across consumer, telecoms, industrial and oil & gas sectors. At Stanbic IBTC Capital, he has assisted clients in raising funds with a cumulative value of over $5.0bn across key sectors of the Nigerian economy.

Prior to joining Stanbic IBTC Capital, he was with Ernst and Young LLP providing Transaction Advisory Services to clients in the financial services sector, automotive sector and chemicals sector. Dolu has a first degree in Accountancy from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria and a Masters degree in Business Finance and International Investments (Combined Hon ours), from Brandeis University - Boston, Massachusetts.