Great post from Keya.. a must read!3 May 2019 12:39
UAE equity wakes up to African opportunities
Dubai's Sheikh Ahmed takes a stake in Nigeria's MX Oil with plans to 'personally steer the business'
Barry Morgan
Paris
2 May 2019 22:00 GMT
A surprise move by Dubai’s Sheikh Ahmed bin Dalmook Juma al-Maktoum last month to acquire a personal stake in Nigeria-focused junior MX Oil has triggered hopes that Persian Gulf players may help plug a funding gap in African energy infrastructure projects.
In an exclusive interview with Upstream, Sheikh Ahmed insisted the decision to take a 29.86% equity share in MX — a partner in the producing Aje field off Nigeria — was his first investment in a public company and that he "currently has no intention to invest in another".
"I will certainly be taking on a very active role within the business. It may take another month but I intend to join the board as an active chairman because I have a desire to personally steer the business," he said.
"I have very clear ideas as to how significant value can be grown within the business,†added Sheikh Ahmed.
He did not comment on whether heavyweight partners may be sought to accelerate the pace of growth, but said his ambition is to build MX Oil into a billion-dollar energy business over the coming years.
Currently, London-listed MX’s sole asset is Aje, which lies in OML-113 in the long-neglected Dahomey basin, where its partners are New Age, Energy Equity Resources, Panoro and operator Yinka Folawiyo.
But MX chief executive Stefan Olivier said Sheikh Ahmed’s private investment will add great value and yield fresh partner opportunities.
With MX Oil, Sheikh Ahmed said his role will be “to focus on business development and on growing value, building on his relationships with the many heads of state who are keen to work with us to help them develop their natural resources.â€
“MX has had its problems accessing sufficient funds but I don’t believe this will be a problem in future. It’s an ideal vehicle for taking advantage of opportunities, primarily in Africa.â€
Pressed on his preference in terms of asset acquisition, Sheikh Ahmed said he will “look at production and near-production assets, but we are not afraid of exploration as long as the portfolio is balancedâ€.
“We won’t sit on our hands as a single-asset company but will rather go after company-making projects, add value and get them into production — we will do our technical work before taking on any project, leveraging relationships we have with international oil companies who may wish to partner with us on larger projects.â€
Sheikh Ahmed last month visit