Nicholas Okafor is the Head of Udo Udoma & Belo – Osagie’s Energy & Infrastructure Practice. His core specialisations are energy (including electric power), projects and infrastructure transactions, including Project Finance. He has advised on key infrastructure projects in Nigeria including a pipeline network in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States for the delivery of natural gas to cement plants, power plants and other facilities. He advised on the creation of a ring-fenced power island that will generate its own electricity and distribute the generated energy across nine Local Government Areas in Abia State, to a population of close to two million people. He recently advised a consortium of investors in its intended collaboration with one of the State Governments in Nigeria on the proposed development, financing, construction, and commissioning of a 110 kilometres circular toll road in that State in order to improve traffic flow, using a public, private partnership and build, operate and transfer concession model.

In relation to his cross border and pan African Practice, he advised a leading global energy company on its entry into, and the process for the procurement of an integrated energy solution that will, when completed, provide generation, distribution and transmission solution to South Sudan. He is advising another leading tech-enabled healthcare investment company that specialises in healthcare infrastructure projects across Africa on its intended collaboration with the Ghanian and Togolese Governments for the purpose of financing, procurement, and deployment of diagnostic facilities for use in the essential areas of radiology and pathology across hospitals in Ghana and Togo under a public, private partnership using the build, operate and transfer arrangement.

As part of his Oil and Gas Practice, he is advising leading indigenous oil and gas companies on the deployment of innovative solutions to deal with the challenges associated with the production and safe evacuation of crude oil, condensate and gas in the Niger Delta Region, regulatory and compliance issues within the Nigerian Oil and Gas industry and dealing with the just concluded Marginal Field bid round in respect of which licences have been issued to successful bidders.

Nicholas is a published author that has written and co-authored several articles on the Nigerian Power Sector and taking security by Nigerian banks, published by reputable journals. He has delivered several presentations and trainings, including training more than 2,000 Nigerian lawyers in December 2021 as part of the faculty for the Nigerian Bar Association’s Institute for Continuing Legal Education mandatory legal training for lawyers. He is a member of the Faculty of Commercial Law Development Services, an organization that provide paid training for lawyers, and corporate executives.

He is particularly skillful in raising capital for clients, whether by debt or equity, in the international capital market using Eurobonds and other instruments, the Nigerian capital market or through syndicated or bilateral bank loans. He has consistently assisted clients to restructure existing debts to align with corporate objectives of their establishments. Nicholas has advised on establishment, operation and maintenance of independent power plants, derivatives based on master agreements and capital restructuring using structured finance techniques.

He is ranked by reputable independent global research organization that review the practice of legal practitioners globally and is considered “a leader in the project development space with robust knowledge of the intricacies within Nigerian law”. He is ranked as a “leader in his field” in the area of Banking & Finance/Energy & Natural Resources.