Leading international law firm Clifford Chance has advised Honoris United Universities, Africa’s first and largest pan-African network of private higher education institutions, on its acquisition of Nile University of Nigeria, known for its strong academic credentials and best-in-class faculties. Honoris is backed by global investment firm, Actis.
Nile University of Nigeria is a fully accredited university that offers a broad range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the Arts and Social Sciences, Engineering, Law, Management Sciences, Natural and Applied Sciences, and Medical & Health Sciences.
Through the acquisition, Honoris has expanded its market leading higher education platform to Nigeria giving Nile University’s students access to diverse experiences across the entire Honoris network, including 21st century physical and digital learning environments using state-of-the-art professional technologies. They will also benefit from Honoris’ regional and international network of partners, providing opportunities for student and faculty exchanges and research programs.
Clifford Chance has worked with Honoris since its establishment. It was the lead advisor on the platform’s cornerstone investment in December 2014, the acquisition of UniversitĂ© Centrale Group and has continued to support Honoris as it has expanded the platform.
Private Equity Partner and Joint Head of Clifford Chance’s Corporate practice in London Nigel Wellings led the team advising Honoris on its acquisition of Nile University. Nigel was supported by Senior Associate Daniel Mutisya and Associate Mayowa Kalesanwo.
Nigel Wellings Comments:
We are delighted to have supported Actis and Honoris over a number of years on the creation and expansion of this buy and build platform, which is one of many hugely successful platforms that Actis have developed. The buy and build strategy continues to be popular with financial sponsors across several sectors in Africa and has allowed them to continue deploying significant amounts of capital despite the challenging market environment.
