Transaction Advisory

Four services. One mandate.

Every service we offer is designed to do one thing: give founders and investors the best possible outcome from their most consequential transactions.

01
Transaction Readiness
Founders & Business Owners

Most Nigerian founders go to market before they are ready. The financials are unclear, the governance is informal, the valuation is unsupported, and the documentation does not exist. Investors see this immediately. Transactions stall or collapse as a result.

Transaction Readiness Advisory is the work that happens before the conversation begins. We prepare your business for investment, acquisition, or capital raise — so that when the meeting happens, you are in control of it.

What We Deliver
  • Full financial review and clean-up — three years of audited or management accounts reviewed, restated where necessary, and presented in investor-ready format
  • Governance and corporate structuring — board composition, shareholder agreements, regulatory compliance, and documentation reviewed and formalised
  • Business valuation — independent assessment of what the business is actually worth and what supports that number
  • Information memorandum — a professional document that tells your business story in the language investors understand
  • Transaction narrative — clear articulation of the ask, the use of funds, and the investment thesis
When You Need This
Before any conversation with an investor, acquirer, or lender. Before you approach a bank for a significant facility. Before you bring in a new partner. Before you begin any process that will require you to open your books.
02
M&A Advisory
Founders · Investors · Acquirers

Acquisitions and mergers are the most consequential transactions a business will go through. The process is complex, the stakes are high, and the information asymmetry between buyer and seller can determine the outcome as much as the underlying economics.

We advise on both sides. For sellers, we run the process, manage information, identify the right buyers, and negotiate to protect your interests. For buyers, we source targets, validate the investment thesis, and execute the acquisition process on your behalf.

What We Deliver
  • Transaction strategy — defining the right structure, the right counterparties, and the right timing
  • Process management — running the full deal process from first contact through to closing
  • Counterparty identification — finding the right buyer or acquisition target through our network and proprietary sourcing
  • Negotiation support — protecting your position at every stage of the negotiation
  • Due diligence coordination — managing information flow and ensuring the process moves efficiently
  • Deal structuring — equity, earn-outs, deferred consideration, and governance post-closing
When You Need This
When you are considering selling all or part of your business. When you want to acquire a competitor or adjacent business. When an approach has been made and you need independent counsel on how to respond.
03
Valuation Advisory
All Parties

Most Nigerian business owners do not know what their business is actually worth. They have a number in their head, based on revenue, or effort, or what they need. That number is rarely what the market will pay.

A formal, methodology-led valuation does two things. It tells you what your business is worth based on evidence, not expectation. And it gives you a number you can defend in any room — with an investor, a buyer, a bank, or a partner.

What We Deliver
  • Full financial analysis — revenue quality, margin profile, working capital, and capital structure reviewed
  • Multiple valuation methodologies — DCF analysis, comparable company analysis, and precedent transaction analysis applied and reconciled
  • Value driver analysis — identifying what drives value in your specific business and how to strengthen it
  • Formal valuation report — a document you can present to any counterparty with full methodology transparency
  • Narrative — the story behind the number that makes it credible to investors and buyers
When You Need This
Before any transaction conversation. For shareholder agreements and disputes. For estate planning and succession. Before approaching a bank for a significant facility. Whenever you need to know — with confidence — what your business is worth.
04
Capital Raise Advisory
Founders & Growth Businesses

Raising capital is not just about finding money. It is about finding the right money, structured the right way, at the right time. The wrong capital — wrong terms, wrong investor, wrong structure — can be more damaging than no capital at all.

We manage the full capital raise process. From structuring the right instrument and building the right materials, to identifying the right investors and managing the process through to funds received.

What We Deliver
  • Capital structure advice — determining the right mix of equity, debt, and hybrid instruments for your specific situation
  • Investor materials — information memorandum, financial model, and investor presentation built to institutional standard
  • Investor identification — mapping the right investors for your stage, sector, and capital requirement
  • Process management — running the investor outreach, managing information flow, and progressing conversations efficiently
  • Term sheet negotiation — protecting your interests on valuation, governance, and economic terms
  • Closing support — working with legal counsel to get documents executed and funds transferred
When You Need This
When you are raising growth capital. When you are restructuring your balance sheet. When you have a specific acquisition to fund. When you want to bring in a strategic investor or financial partner.
Investor Services

We work both sides of the table.

Unlike firms that serve only founders, we also advise investors and acquirers seeking to deploy capital into Nigerian mid-market businesses. That dual positioning gives us an information advantage neither side can replicate.

01
Buy-Side M&A Advisory
Representing investors and acquirers seeking to deploy capital into Nigerian businesses. Deal origination, target identification, valuation, due diligence coordination, and negotiation through to closing.
02
Due Diligence Advisory
Independent financial and commercial due diligence on acquisition targets. We identify risks, validate assumptions, and give investors the information they need to price a deal correctly and structure appropriate protections.
03
Deal Origination
Proprietary deal sourcing for investors seeking exposure to the Nigerian mid-market. We identify founder-owned businesses considering capital raises or exits — before they reach the broader market.
04
Investment Structuring
Structuring equity investments, shareholder agreements, and governance frameworks for deals involving Nigerian businesses. Protecting investor interests while preserving founder relationships that make businesses valuable.
Alternative Investments

Selective participation in real economy opportunities.

Alongside our advisory work, Sawyerr & Co. selectively participates in investment opportunities within sectors where we maintain advisory expertise and commercial insight.

Rather than operating a pooled investment fund, we structure investments on a deal-by-deal basis — allowing participating investors to evaluate each opportunity independently with full transparency on capital deployment and expected horizon.

This capability is developing and forms the second pillar of the merchant banking model we are building over time.

Investment Activities
Principal Participation
Sawyerr & Co. participates directly in selected opportunities alongside operating partners and co-investors. Our participation signals conviction in the underlying economics.
Co-Investment Opportunities
Sophisticated investors participate alongside us in select transactions. Each investment independently structured with full transparency.
Commodity Export Ventures
Selective participation in export-oriented commodity opportunities — hibiscus, ginger, sesame, cocoa, and gum arabic — with strong global demand and hard currency revenue.
Real Economy Investments
Food processing, logistics infrastructure, and income-generating real estate where disciplined capital allocation creates measurable returns.
Co-Investment Structure
Term
Detail
Minimum participation
₦5,000,000 per deal
Deal structure
Co-investment agreement — not a pooled fund
Deal cycle
90 to 180 days depending on opportunity (Some deals may take longer)
Returns
Opportunity-specific and dependent on sector and execution
Carried interest
25% of profits retained by Sawyerr & Co.
Reporting
Updates at sourcing, deployment, and exit stages
Eligibility
Sophisticated and high net worth individuals only
Investment by Invitation
Co-investment opportunities are available to qualifying investors by invitation. Full details are provided at the opportunity stage.
Investment Philosophy
01
Sector Familiarity
We invest in sectors where we advise. No blind spots.
02
Transparency
Investors evaluate each deal independently. No blind capital.
03
Disciplined Deployment
Clear economics and defined cycles before any capital moves.
04
Aligned Incentives
The firm participates alongside investors. Outcomes are shared.
05
Real Economy Focus
Tangible goods, structural demand, hard currency potential.