Despite harsh economic conditions, Axxela raises ₦16.4bn in oversubscribed bond issuance

UGO AMADI

Axxela Limited, a leading sub-Saharan African gas and power company, today announced the completion of its ₦15 billion Series 1 Bond Issuance.

The Bond, issued under its newly established ₦50 Billion Multi-Instrument Issuance Programme, was well received, and achieved an oversubscription at 109 percent to close at ₦16.4 Billion. Axxela accomplished this financial milestone despite issuing the bond during challenging economic conditions, with rising interest rates and limited market liquidity.

The offer attracted strong investor interest from a diverse investment group, including Pension Fund Administrators, Asset Managers, and High-Net-Worth Individuals, underscoring robust confidence in its financial prospects and market position.

The bond issuance will enable Axxela to fund its long-term capital expenditures, manage its weighted average cost of capital, and diversify its funding sources while meeting the company’s strategic objectives. Stanbic IBTC Capital, acting as the Lead Issuing House for the Bond Issue alongside seven Joint Issuing Houses, played a pivotal role in the transaction, with Stanbic IBTC Bank serving as the transaction bank.

Commenting on the fundraising, Axxela Limited’s Chief Executive Officer, Bolaji Osunsanya, thanked Nigerian capital market investors for their sustained confidence in the Axxela brand, the organisation’s financial excellence, and its long-term strategic market aspirations.

“In 2020, our inaugural bond issuance was well oversubscribed, leading to an N11.5 billion closing against the N10 billion target. Once again, we have received an oversubscription with this issuance, raising N16.4bn against the N15bn prospectus. This is a significant indicator of increasing investor confidence in our company’s reputation, brand, and performance.

“This milestone emphasises the necessary symbiosis between private entities and debt capital markets, as it enables us to pursue our multi-pronged growth strategy of optimising our operations and assets, expanding our footprint, and revolutionising the energy sector. The bond proceeds will support the development of our growth projects, signifying the importance of local and international capital markets in the development of critical infrastructure. We believe that now is the time to forge deeper collaborations to assess the right investment that would aid the much-needed infrastructure for the sector and Nigeria”, he concluded.

Speaking at the bond signing ceremony, Bolaji says he is optimistic about Axxela’s upward growth trajectory as global trends in the future energy mix show a continued shift toward cleaner and more affordable energy solutions. He emphasised that with natural gas taking center stage in the Federal Government of Nigeria’s energy transition agenda, Axxela is uniquely positioned as the partner of choice to actualise large-scale projects within the pipeline, virtual pipeline, gas processing, last mile distribution and embedded power solutions.

Timothy Ononiwu, Chief Financial Officer, Axxela Limited said, “We are grateful for the success of the Transaction which speaks to the investors’ recognition of Axxela’s operating and financial performance over the years and the significant growth prospects across our value chain. We will continue to explore opportunities to diversify our funding sources and optimise our funding structure towards achieving our financial objectives. We appreciate the immense support from our advisors who guided us through this process and the investors who still believe in our story.”

Over twenty years ago, Axxela pioneered the development of Nigeria’s natural gas distribution network, and the company has grown to become the largest private-sector gas distribution company in Nigeria. Its operations span the natural gas value chain, including processing, transmission, distribution, trading, power generation, and distribution.

Axxela Limited is the pioneer private sector developer of natural gas solutions and captive power generation in Nigeria, a company co-owned by Helios Investment Partners LLP and Sojitz Corporation. Axxela is a designated natural gas shipper on the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) and a member of the West African Power Pool (WAPP), delivering natural gas to about 200 industrial and commercial customers via a vast natural gas infrastructure network.

With over 360km of natural gas pipeline infrastructure built, Axxela provides unique energy solutions primarily through its subsidiaries: Gaslink Nigeria Limited, Gas Network Services Limited, Central Horizon Gas Company Limited, and Transit Gas Nigeria Limited.