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Mayowa Olagbaiye

Banwo & Ighodalo

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Position: Senior Associate, Banking & Finance
Rating:
  • Rising star
Bar Admissions:
Nigeria
Practice Areas:
Banking and finance
Jurisdictions:
Languages:
English
Yoruba
Biography

Mayowa is a dynamic lawyer with a decade of experience in providing comprehensive legal solutions to financial institutions and corporate clients. He regularly represents leading domestic and international financial institutions, development finance institutions and corporates across the infrastructure, oil and gas, power, transportation, telecoms, real estate, healthcare and international trade sectors. His experience also cuts across corporate finance, project finance and mergers and acquisitions transactions. Known for his results-driven approach, Mayowa plays a key role in the execution of high-value and sophisticated transactions, particularly in the area of debt financing, contributing to the firm’s strong reputation in this space.

Recent matter/case highlights
  • Advised a syndicate of lenders (through their Agent, African Export-Import Bank) in connection with a €2,000,000,000 (Two Billion Euros) syndicated loan facility advanced to the Bank of Industry Limited - acclaimed to be the first transaction of its kind in terms of size and structure by any financial institution in Nigeria. This transaction has received a plethora of awards such as the (i) Syndicated Loan Deal of the Year at the 2025 Global Banking & Markets: Africa Awards; (ii) Transaction of the Year at the 2025 This Day Awards; (iii) Deal of the Year (Debt) at the 2025 African Banker Awards; and (iv Best Syndicated Loan in EMEA at the EMEA Finance 2024 Achievement Awards.
  • Advised a syndicate of banks (with Standard Chartered Bank as the Mandated Lead Arranger) in connection with an up to US$2,000,000,000 receivable backed financing advanced to Nexus Funding Limited, a Bahamian special purpose vehicle established by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company and NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company Limited.
  • Advised Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE (DPRP) in connection with a USD3,000,000,000 workingcapital facility advanced to DPRP (as the borrower) by a syndicate of working capital lenders (including the Africa Finance Corporation and African Export-Import Bank).
  • Advised African Export-Import Bank in connection with an up to US$750,000,000 (Seven Hundred and Fifty Million United States Dollars) facility advanced to Heirs Energies Limited.
  • Advised FirstRand Bank (London Branch) acting through its Rand Merchant Bank Division (as senior facility agent), Trafigura Pte. (as junior facility agent) and a syndicate of banks in connection with (a) a senior bridge facility of up to US$360,000,000 and (b) a junior bridge facility of up to US$90,000,000, advanced to Chappal Investment Limited in relation to the acquisition by its subsidiary, Project Odinmin Investments Limited of 100% of the shares held by Equinor AS in Equinor Nigeria Energy Company Limited (now Chappal Energies Offshore Limited) (the holder of fifty-three point eight five percent (53.85%) working interest in each of oil mining leases 128 and 129.
Key practice areas
  • Banking & Loan Syndication
  • Project Finance
  • Project Development
Sector expertise
  • Aviation
  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Financial services
  • Healthcare
  • Natural resources
  • Oil and gas
  • Real estate
  • Social infrastructure
  • Technology and telecommunications
  • Transport
Academic qualifications
  • LLM, Corporate Law, Durham University, UK
  • BL, Nigerian Law School
  • LLB, Law, University of Lagos
Association/network memberships
  • Nigerian Bar Association
  • Nigerian Bar Association - Section on Business Law
Bar Admissions
  • Nigerian Bar Association
Address:
48 Awolowo Road South-West Ikoyi, Lagos
Nigeria
Tel:+234 808 027 1430 Email:Contact this practitioner Website:https://www.banwo-ighodalo.com/people/mayowa-olagbaiye/