Mantra Offers Due Diligence Services for New Business Entrants to Nigeria
During a recent visit to Nigeria by the Rt Honourable Kemi Badenoch MP, Secretary of State for the UK Department of Business and Trade, an Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP) agreement was signed by Nigeria and the UK. This is the first deal of its kind that the UK has signed with an African country.
The new arrangement aims to build on the success and progress of the previous Economic Development Forum (EDF), which has resulted in a £7billion trading relationship between the two countries. The aim of the ETIP agreement is to reduce barriers to trade in goods, increase opportunities for services and investment, support innovation and digital trade, create jobs, empower small and medium-sized enterprises and promote a sustainable business landscape. Certain key industries will be the main focus for the agreement, including legal services, education, agriculture, food safety and security, health and life sciences, creative industries and financial services.
Another clear target of the agreement is to enable economic diversification away from oil and gas products through responsible investment in renewable energy, environmental protection and sustainable development. This will ultimately support Nigeria’s journey towards achieving its net-zero targets and advancing its Energy Transition Plan.
As UK and international companies start to understand the wide-ranging opportunities offered by the new ETIP arrangement, we at Mantra understand that international business leaders may be concerned about certain risks associated with trading in or with Nigeria for the first time. Our dedicated Security Consultancy and Risk Management Team can provide companies with expert advice and recommendations to help them overcome these challenges.
In light of the new trade deal, we are increasingly being asked to carry out due diligence checks on potential partner companies in Nigeria. Our due diligence services on companies include checking that a company actually exists, i.e. carrying out a physical check on the premises. We can investigate the financial stability of a company by analysing its profit and loss accounts and cashflow status. In addition, we can also check if the company is involved in any outstanding litigation issues and verify the strength of its security and data privacy programs. We use a combination of our in-house Security Consultants, as well as using expert third party partners, including relevant Nigerian government security agencies, to carry out our comprehensive due diligence services.
In addition to screening companies, we are also able to vet individuals for businesses that are looking to recruit potential employees in Nigeria. We recognise the critical significance of a thorough individual vetting process and undertake this task across several areas, including: initial screening of candidates, verification of personal details such as their address, education and employment verification, reference checks with previous employers, social media screening and a criminal record check.
This exhaustive and multidimensional individual vetting process ensures that our Clients receive accurate and comprehensive insights to make well-informed recruitment decisions. We recently completed a thorough screening on a group of individuals for one of our key Clients, which resulted in an individual being identified as unsuitable. This prevented our Client from hiring someone that could have caused potential financial or reputational damage to their business.
So if you are a new business entrant considering trading in Nigeria for the first time and require more information on our Security Consultancy and due diligence services in Nigeria, please contact us by submitting an enquiry form at: http://bit.ly/contactmantra or email us at info@mantraoperations.com
Written by Sian Hawkes, Director of Marketing and Communications