Process
Five steps, one written mandate, a traceable file from end to end.
AFROPORTUNITY acts as a deal originator under written mandate. Every file follows the same sequence, in the same order: nothing is put in front of a counterparty before the contractual framework is signed and both sides have been identified.
- Acting under mandate
- NCNDA as standard
- KYC on all parties
- 24-month tail period
This page sets out the framework we actually work under. It is written to be read by an investment committee, a compliance function or legal counsel.
How it runs
What happens, step by step.
For each step: what we do, what we expect from the counterparty, and the deliverable that unlocks the next one. A step that is not closed is never skipped.
- Step
Mandate
Nothing begins without a written mandate. It sets the scope, the territory, the term, any exclusivity, the fee and the tail period. Until it is signed, there is no file.
What we do
- Scoping meeting: nature of the asset, the outcome sought, a realistic timetable, known constraints.
- Drafting of the mandate: scope, territory covered, term, exclusivity or not, commission, tail period, governing law.
- Opening of an internal file under a unique reference in the form AFP-XXX-000, used in all subsequent correspondence.
What we expect from you
- Legal identity of the principal and evidence of signing authority for the person executing the mandate.
- Evidence of title to, or control of, the asset: permit, concession, agreement, or letter of authority from the holder.
- A clear position on exclusivity, and the list of intermediaries already mandated, where that applies.
DeliverableSigned mandate, file reference allocated, a single point of contact appointed on each side.
- Step
Qualification
The file is reduced to verifiable facts before it is shown to anyone. A poorly documented asset is not an asset that can be presented.
What we do
- Verification of the existence and validity of the titles against the registers and sources available.
- Consistency check between the documents provided, the real stage of the project and the applicable regime.
- Identification of the blocking points before a counterparty finds them for itself.
- Preparation of an anonymised teaser: no company name, no precise location, no figures.
What we expect from you
- The technical and legal documentation available, as it actually stands, with nothing dressed up.
- Written answers to the scoping questions, including the uncomfortable ones.
- Immediate disclosure of any dispute, pledge, security interest, arrears or pending proceedings.
DeliverableAnonymised teaser, internal qualification note and list of items still to be documented.
- Step
Due diligence
We verify both sides of the table. An investor who refuses to be verified gains access to no file, whatever their reputation.
What we do
- KYC on the project sponsor and on the counterparty: identity, constitutional documents, ownership chain down to the ultimate beneficial owners.
- Screening of individuals and entities against public sanctions lists, on entry and again before signature.
- Verification of genuine capacity to execute: sector references, comparable transactions, proof of funds or investment mandate.
- Assembly of a compliance file that is retained and can be produced.
What we expect from you
- Current identity papers and constitutional documents, for the entity and for its officers.
- The full ownership chain, down to the natural persons who are the ultimate beneficial owners.
- For an investor counterparty: proof of financial capacity, investment mandate or letter of interest from its committee.
- Disclosure of any political exposure, where that applies.
DeliverableComplete compliance file on both parties, dated and archived.
- Step
Introduction
The introduction takes place only once the counterparty has signed the NCNDA. Information is then released in stages, never in one block.
What we do
- Signature of the NCNDA by the counterparty before any name is disclosed.
- Staged release of information, from teaser to full documentation, following the sequence set out below.
- Organising and chairing the exchanges: video calls, working sessions, site visits on the corridor or meetings in one of the capital markets.
- A written note after each session, sent to both parties.
What we expect from you
- A decision-maker identified on each side, not a relay without authority.
- Genuine availability for the exchanges, the technical questions and the site visits.
- No direct contact outside the mandate channel during its term and its tail period.
- Access to the project team where the counterparty legitimately requires it.
DeliverableData room open, negotiation timetable shared and meeting notes placed on file.
- Step
Closing
We stay on the file through to signature and payment of the fee. A file abandoned mid-negotiation does not close itself.
What we do
- Monitoring the negotiation, chasing the blocking points and settling timetable questions.
- Coordinating the legal and technical advisers on both sides, without ever standing in for them.
- Securing the originator’s fee clause in the final documentation.
- Formal closure of the file: list of counterparties introduced, start date of the tail period.
What we expect from you
- Honest information on progress, including when the negotiation fails.
- Naming of the originator in the signed agreement, in accordance with the mandate.
- Payment of the fee on the terms and schedule agreed.
DeliverableTransaction signed, fee paid, file closed and archived.
Compliance framework
What sets us apart comes down to four written commitments.
The intermediation market is saturated with unverified documents circulating without any framework. We take the opposite route, and ours is enforceable.
NCNDA
What an NCNDA is, and why it is never waived.
NCNDA stands for Non-Circumvention, Non-Disclosure Agreement. It binds the counterparty on two distinct points. The first is standard: not to disclose the information received. The second is vital for a deal originator: not to circumvent the mandate holder in order to deal directly with the party it introduced.
It is signed before any name is disclosed, never after. A counterparty that refuses to sign it does not receive the file — no exceptions, including for the most established names. In a business where information is the product, it is the only protection that genuinely exists.
The NCNDA is not a commercial obstacle; it is what makes everything else possible. The sponsor agrees to document the asset because it knows where the information goes; the counterparty receives a real file rather than a market rumour.
- Non-disclosure of the information to unauthorised third parties, including within the counterparty’s own group.
- Non-circumvention of the mandate holder and of the parties introduced, for the term of the mandate and its tail period.
- Named scope: the parties, assets and projects covered are listed in the agreement, not left to interpretation.
- Explicit confidentiality term and tail period, with a dated starting point.
- Treatment of the counterparty’s teams and advisers, who are bound by the same undertaking.
- Governing law and competent jurisdiction designated in the agreement [TO BE COMPLETED: governing law chosen and competent forum].
Sequencing
What information is released, at what stage, and on what condition.
Information is not handed over all at once. It opens in stages, and each stage is conditional on a written undertaking or on a completed verification. This is the central mechanism of our method.
| Stage | What is released | Condition of access |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Sector, country, asset type, stage of development, counterparty sought. | None. This is the public content of the anonymised teaser. |
| Expression of interest | Status of the mandate, the precise nature of the requirement, indicative timetable for the process. | Identification of the counterparty and of the person who owns the subject within it. |
| NCNDA signed | Project name, exact scope, envisaged transaction structure, known points of attention. | NCNDA signed by an authorised signatory and KYC under way. |
| KYC cleared | Titles and permits, technical documentation, available reports and studies. | KYC completed on both sides and the express consent of the sponsor. |
| Data room | Full file, legal history, access to the project team and to its advisers. | Negotiation timetable agreed and a decision-maker appointed. |
| On the ground | Site visit, meetings with the operators and, where relevant, with the competent authorities. | A review formally opened on the counterparty’s side. |
At any time, the sponsor may request the list of counterparties to which its file has been presented.
Tail period
The 24-month tail period, explained plainly.
The tail period is the period following the end of the mandate during which the fee remains payable if the transaction completes with a counterparty we introduced. It runs for 24 months.
It answers a very concrete problem: a mining, infrastructure or energy transaction takes months to negotiate, often years. Without a tail period, it would be enough to wait for the mandate to expire, deal direct, and write the originator out of the file it built.
It creates no new exclusivity and stops no one from working with whomever they choose. It applies only to the counterparties we actually introduced and who are named on the list handed over when the mandate closes. That list is fixed in writing: no retrospective claim is possible.
- Starting point
- The last day of the mandate, dated in the agreement.
- Duration
- 24 months, with no automatic renewal.
- Scope
- Only those counterparties introduced by us and named on the closing list.
- Effect
- If the transaction completes with one of them within that period, the fee remains payable on the terms of the mandate.
Integrity
Anti-corruption and KYC on both parties.
A deal originator who agrees to carry an envelope stops being a deal originator. Our position is written into the mandate, restated to each party and applied without commercial exception.
What we refuse, without discussion
- Any payment, gift or benefit intended to obtain an administrative decision, a permit or a title.
- Any informal facilitation, whatever the local custom invoked to justify it.
- Any transaction whose source of funds is not established on documented evidence.
- Any file involving a person or entity targeted by public sanctions.
- Any fee made conditional on obtaining an act of a public authority rather than on completing a transaction.
- Any request for an advance of funds addressed to either party, under whatever heading.
What we verify, on both sides
- Identity and constitutional documents of the entity and of its officers.
- Ownership chain down to the natural persons who are the ultimate beneficial owners.
- Screening against public sanctions lists, when the file is opened and again before signature.
- Political exposure, declared and documented where it exists.
- Source of funds and genuine financial capacity of the investing party.
- Validity of the titles, permits and agreements on the sponsor’s side.
The documents collected stay on file. They are not used for prospecting: they are there to prove, should the question ever arise, that the introduction was conducted properly.
Frequently asked questions
The questions counterparties actually ask.
The answers below bind the firm. If a point is not covered here, it will be covered in writing before the mandate is signed.
How are you paid?
Through a success fee: it falls due only if the transaction completes. Its rate, the base it is calculated on and its payment schedule are fixed in writing in the mandate, before any work begins, and do not move afterwards. We ask for no advance of funds and make no step conditional on a prior payment. [TO BE COMPLETED: reference fee scale by transaction type, if it is to be published.]
Do you work on an exclusive basis?
Both arrangements exist, and the choice is settled when the mandate is signed. Exclusivity lets us commit real resources to a file and approach first-tier counterparties, who as a rule decline to review an asset already circulating through several intermediaries. A non-exclusive mandate remains possible, particularly on files that are already advanced: the counterparties we cover are then listed and dated, so that no competing claim can arise.
What happens if I refuse to sign the NCNDA?
You do not receive the file. The anonymised teaser stays available — sector, country, asset type, counterparty sought — and nothing beyond that. The project name, the scope, the titles and the documentation are all conditional on signature. This rule admits no exception, including for the most established groups; it is precisely what gives value to what we release afterwards.
How confidential is what I send you, in practice?
The information is held in a referenced file, accessible only to the people handling the mandate, and released solely according to the sequence set out on this page. It is not sold on, not circulated to a contact list, and not reused after closure. You may ask at any time for the list of counterparties to which your file has been presented, together with the date of each presentation.
How long does a transaction take?
It depends on the asset, on the quality of the existing documentation and on the applicable mining, energy or port regime. We do not promise a timeline, and we are wary of those who do. We commit to something else: a written response on every qualified file, a regular progress update during the mandate, and immediate notice of a blockage rather than silence about it.
On what grounds do you turn a file down?
Title missing, expired or disputed. An ownership chain that cannot be established. A party targeted by public sanctions. Source of funds not documented. Documentation withheld or deliberately incomplete. A request for a payment intended to obtain an administrative decision. A refusal is given with written reasons, the file is closed, and the information received is not reused.
What is your geographic remit?
A corridor, not a world map. On the origination side: Guinea, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso — landlocked, its gold and its inbound supplies transiting through Abidjan. On the capital side: international markets. Of our five offices, four sit on the origination side and the fifth is the head office in Dubai; Europe and North America are markets where we place, not places where we are established. We will look at files adjacent to that remit where the counterparty sought is the same, and we say so plainly when a file falls outside our area of competence rather than putting it into circulation without believing in it.
Do you verify investors as well, or only project sponsors?
Both, to the same standard. An investor goes through the same KYC as a sponsor: identity, constitutional documents, ultimate beneficial owners, sanctions screening, genuine financial capacity. That is what allows us to assure the sponsor that its file is not being shown to idle curiosity, and to assure the investor that the file it receives has been through the same level of scrutiny.
Next step
A file to present, or a search to mandate.
The first conversation is about scoping: nature of the asset or of the requirement, scope, timetable. It commits nothing for as long as the mandate is unsigned.
Access granted under NCNDA, once the counterparty has been verified.