By Isaac Anumihe and Adewale Sanyaolu
Lead Capital Consortium has been given 60 days to conclude the strategic equity investment by the National Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) into the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX).
The Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex Okoh, gave the timeline at the kick-off meeting of the advisory services for the transaction.
He disclosed that the aim of the meeting was to formally introduce the appointed advisor, Lead Capital Consortium, to the key stakeholders including Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMI&TI), Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMA&RD), Federal Ministry of Finance (FMF), NCX and NSIA, and to signal the commencement of the advisory service.
Recall that Lead Capital Consortium emerged the preferred advisor after a competitive bidding process using the Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) method.
“This assignment as outlined in the work plan commences on June 21, 2017 and would be concluded within a period of 60 calendars days, unfailingly. We therefore solicit the continued support and cooperation of the stakeholders to ensure that this transaction is delivered within the timeframe envisaged.”
He pointed out that the transaction was unique in the sense that unlike in the traditional privatisation transaction approach where a private sector entity is brought in to acquire government shareholding and take over the management and operation of the public enterprise, “here a government entity is making strategic investment in NCX. This is to enable NCX have access to investment capital to develop the infrastructure to carry out its business effectively in facilitating trade and developing settlement instruments and platforms in agricultural produce and basic minerals.”
The Steering Committee of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), chaired by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, was charged with the responsibility of midwifing the revitalisation of the NCX through the approved strategic equity investment in the exchange by NSIA.
The BPE DG noted that, “it is envisaged that within a period of three – five years, NCX would have been sufficiently transformed to attract high calibre private sector investors to take over.