Investors Renewed Confidence In Nigeria’s Economy Leads to Oversubscribed Eurobond

The Debt Management Office (DMO) revealed that the $3 billion Eurobond offer was heavily oversubscribed, noting that investors were ready to invest $12.2 billion.

Consequently, the government decided to increase its initial offer value from $3billion to $4billion.

According to a statement on Tuesday night by the Debt Management Office (DMO), investors from, Nigeria, Europe, Asia and America demanded $12.2 billion for the notes.

“This exceptional performance has been described as ‘one of the biggest financial trades to come out of Africa in 2021 and an excellent outcome”, said the DMO in a statement.

“The size of the Order Book and the quality of investors demonstrate confidence in Nigeria”, the DMO said.

Nigeria opened its order book for the bond offering on Tuesday, aiming to issue the bond next week, according to a notice to investors.

The country issued the debt in tranches of three tenors.

It raised $1.25 billion for seven years at a yield of 6.125 percent and sold a 12-year bond at 7.375 percent to fetch $1.5 billion. A 30-year tranche of $1.25 billion was sold at 8.25 percent

The government had arranged a two-day call with investors last week and on Monday, with the DMO saying that the bond would be priced following the meetings.

The notice was set for Sept. 28 for the bond settlement, which will be listed on the London and Nigerian Stock Exchanges.

The Eurobonds are part of a government plan to raise 2.343 trillion naira ($5.71 billion) in external financing to help fund spending in 2021 and to partly finance the 5.6 trillion naira deficit.

“The long tenors of the Eurobonds and the spread across different maturities are well aligned with Nigeria’s Debt Management Strategy, 2020 – 2023”, the DMO said.

“Since the Eurobonds were issued as part of the New External Borrowing in the 2021 Appropriation Act, the raising of USD4 billion through Eurobonds provides a significant amount of funds to finance projects in the Act, thus contributing to the implementation of the 2021 Appropriation Act”, it added.

Nigeria picked JPMorgan, Citigroup, Standard Chartered and Goldman Sachs as international bookrunners, and local firm Chapel Hill Denham on the forthcoming Eurobond issue