Global Law Experts welcomes renewed membership for Dr. Sanford U. Mba

Global Law Experts is pleased to announce the renewal of the membership of Dr. Sanford U. Mba of Dentons ACAS-Law as our Exclusive Member for Nigeria for an additional 12 months. We are thrilled to continue this relationship and to support the member as a contributing expert within our global legal network. Dr. Sanford U. Mba brings a distinctive combination of transactional experience, sector knowledge and academic rigour that aligns closely with the objectives of the network and the needs of clients seeking high quality legal counsel in corporate matters across Nigeria and the wider region.

Practice strengths and why the member is a strong fit

Dr. Sanford U. Mba is a corporate and commercial partner whose practice concentrates on corporate law with demonstrable strength in banking and finance, corporate financing and mergers and acquisitions. Global Law Experts renewed the member's Exclusive Membership because the member consistently delivers technically robust, commercially aware and regulatory compliant solutions on high value and complex mandates. The member's skill set aligns directly with our network priorities in corporate transactional work, project and infrastructure finance, cross border financing and corporate governance advisory services.

The member’s practice delivers value across several complementary areas that are central to clients seeking specialist corporate counsel in Nigeria. These include structuring and documenting syndicated and bilateral lending transactions, project and infrastructure finance, corporate mergers and acquisitions, capitalisation and balance sheet restructuring of public companies, and corporate governance and disclosure for listed entities. The depth and breadth of experience make the member an ideal resource for other network members, for in‑house legal teams partnering on cross border matters and for clients seeking local counsel with an international perspective.

Representative mandates demonstrating domain expertise

Advised a syndicate led by Sterling Bank Plc, First City Monument Bank Limited, Wema Bank Plc, African Export-Import Bank and the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria on a US$403 million syndicated facility to Pan Ocean Oil Corporation Nigeria Limited for a 70 kilometre liquid hydrocarbon transportation pipeline and related OML 147 development, including facility restructuring and finance and security documentation.
Acted for Africa Finance Corporation on a US$35 million secured term loan facility for the construction of a 5,000 barrel per day modular refinery in Ibigwe, Imo State.
Advised an international bank on an up to US$55 million term loan, backed by an export credit institution, to the Federal Government of Nigeria for a 17MW hybrid solar power project in Abuja.
Provided counsel in relation to Visa’s US$200 million investment in Interswitch, advising Interswitch management on transaction structuring and related commercial considerations.
Advised on a wide range of corporate finance and restructuring matters including acquisition mandates, divestments and securitisation arrangements for clients across energy, infrastructure, fintech and real estate sectors.

These representative matters illustrate the member’s ability to manage multi‑party financings, negotiate complex security packages, and structure regulatory compliant solutions for capital intensive projects. The member’s role advising lenders, sponsors, development finance institutions and corporates on multi jurisdictional deals is particularly relevant to the Global Law Experts network which frequently coordinates cross border solutions.

Sector focus and how the member complements the network

The member’s transactional footprint spans infrastructure sectors such as pipelines, refineries, rail and power projects, together with financial sector work including bank financings and fintech investment transactions. This combination is well matched to the network’s corporate and finance practice needs. Global Law Experts values members who can both act as lead counsel on domestic matters and provide coordinated support for international teams addressing regulatory, financing and cross border execution risks. Dr. Sanford U. Mba’s experience with development finance institutions, private equity sponsors and multinational corporates positions the member as a practical collaborator for cross jurisdictional mandates.

Thought leadership academic contributions and recognition

In addition to transactional experience, the member’s academic engagements and published work add substantive value to the network’s knowledge base. The member has held academic and visiting positions including an Academic Visitor role at the Commercial Law Center, Harris Manchester College, Oxford University in 2018, a Global Teaching Fellowship with Central European University in 2017 and a Visiting Scholar placement at Cornell Law School in 2017. This scholarly background supports the member’s contributions on topics such as corporate governance, balance sheet restructuring and insolvency related reforms.

Recognition by international legal directories further underlines the member’s standing in the market. The member is noted in respected directories for expertise in banking and finance, corporate transactions and M&A, and is ranked by peer publications for leading work in financial services. These distinctions reinforce the member’s suitability as an Exclusive Member for Nigeria and as a resource for network clients and colleagues seeking informed, credible counsel.

Member contributions to the network

During the renewed term Global Law Experts anticipates that the member will contribute to the network in several practical ways. Contributions may include sharing insight on complex corporate financing structures, participating in regional practice group exchanges on regulatory developments, assisting in cross border transactional planning and contributing thought leadership on governance and capital markets reform. The member’s combination of hands on transactional delivery and academic perspective is particularly valuable for capacity building within the network and for assisting clients with novel or technically demanding mandates.

Looking ahead in the renewed term

Global Law Experts is committed to supporting the member’s engagement across the network and to highlighting the member’s specialist knowledge to clients seeking high quality corporate advice in Nigeria. The renewed exclusive membership will facilitate deeper collaboration on multi jurisdictional matters, regional seminars and client referrals for matters requiring Nigerian counsel with proven experience in banking and finance, project finance and corporate mergers and acquisitions.

We are confident that Dr. Sanford U. Mba will continue to enrich the network through practical deal experience, regulatory insight and academic contributions. Global Law Experts welcomes the opportunity to work closely with the member over the next 12 months and is excited to build on the successful collaboration already established.

Concluding statement

Global Law Experts is delighted to confirm the renewal of Dr. Sanford U. Mba as our Exclusive Member for Nigeria. The member’s proven track record in corporate and financial services work, leadership in complex financing and M&A transactions, and commitment to thought leadership make the member an excellent fit for the network. We look forward to a productive year ahead and are thrilled to have the member onboard for an additional term.