Seplat Energy Plc has recognized robust company governance, transparency and stakeholder collaboration as crucial to unlocking structured financing alternatives for Nigerian companies, urging corporations to embrace world finest practices to draw funding and maintain development.
The firm’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Executive Director, Eleanor Adaralegbe, said this on the Olaniwun Ajayi Structured Finance Roundtable in Lagos, the place she highlighted how Seplat’s governance framework, administration credibility and clear engagement with financiers had helped it appeal to capital to help its enlargement.
Speaking throughout a panel session themed, “From Theory to Transactions: Overcoming Barriers and Scaling Structured Finance in the Nigerian Market,” Adaralegbe stated investor confidence depended largely on the credibility of an organization’s management and the energy of its governance constructions.
“I think one of the most fundamental things for the success of structured financing is the management team. The role of a management team is unbelievable. I’ve found in my journey with the company that this has been one area where a lot of people have invested in us because they believe in the management team,” she stated.
She defined that Seplat approached financing establishments as companions, prioritising transparency and a shared understanding of its enterprise aims slightly than merely presenting proposals to safe approvals.
“At Seplat, we work with financiers as partners. We don’t try to package a deal so that they can approve it. We work with them to ensure there’s a general understanding of what we’re trying to achieve, and we carry them along in our process,” she stated.
According to her, the corporate’s dedication to sound governance, disciplined monetary administration and worldwide reporting requirements had helped it set up lasting relationships with lenders, buyers and regulators, strengthening its entry to native and worldwide capital.
Adaralegbe maintained that governance needs to be considered as a strategic enterprise benefit slightly than merely a compliance requirement, significantly for corporations searching for long-term financing for main investments.
“The quality of our governance, the strength of our management team and our willingness to engage openly with stakeholders have enabled us to build credibility in the market. Governance is not just a compliance exercise; it is a strategic enabler that gives investors and lenders confidence to support long-term growth,” she stated.
She additionally credited Seplat’s twin itemizing on the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the London Stock Exchange with strengthening its institutional processes and investor confidence.
According to her, complying with the necessities of each markets instilled larger self-discipline within the firm’s operations, significantly in governance and disclosure.
“The regulators and listing authorities helped shape us as a company because we had to meet listing requirements in both Nigeria and London. There was a discipline that we had to build into how we operated as a business, and that really helped us,” she stated.
Adaralegbe added that the stringent governance and disclosure obligations related to its London itemizing had been significantly helpful in constructing the corporate’s institutional capability.
She additionally counseled the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for supporting innovation and capital formation, noting that engagement with the regulator had helped Seplat pursue a number of initiatives over time.
In his remarks, the Director General of the SEC, Emomotimi Agama, who delivered the keynote handle on the roundtable, equally referred to as for larger cooperation amongst regulators, authorized practitioners, issuers, buyers and different market individuals to deepen Nigeria’s capital markets and develop structured financing.
Agama stated collaboration was essential to handle regulatory challenges, enhance the working setting and develop financing options able to supporting financial development.
“We must work together. There is nothing wrong with our law firms identifying challenges in regulation and proposing ways to improve the regulatory framework. We must make this market better together because it is for the benefit of all of us,” he stated.
He reaffirmed the fee’s dedication to defending buyers whereas encouraging innovation, stressing that an acceptable steadiness between regulation and market growth was important to the credibility and development of Nigeria’s structured finance market.
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
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