Akorede Folarin

Akorede Folarin is a Nigeria-qualified lawyer at Banwo & Ighodalo, where he advises at the intersection of infrastructure, private capital and complex financing structures.

His practice focuses on the structuring and execution of large-scale infrastructure projects, private equity investments, and innovative capital platforms across Nigeria and the broader African market. He regularly advises sovereigns, development finance institutions, fund managers and institutional investors on transactions involving public-private partnerships, cross-border acquisitions, and infrastructure finance.

Akorede has developed particular experience in fund formation and capital structuring, including the design of blended finance vehicles, infrastructure funds, private credit platforms, and multi-jurisdictional private capital structures (including master-feeder arrangements and co-investment frameworks).

He has been involved in mandates spanning airport and highway concessions, student housing PPPs, distributed renewable energy (DRE) financing platforms, and large-scale fund structures aimed at mobilising institutional capital into real assets.

• Advised the Federal Government of Nigeria (through the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria) on the brownfield concessions of two Nigerian international airports under the Modified Swiss Challenge model (circa $60m & $88m).
• Advised Africa Infra Plus Fund II on the nationwide student housing PPP program for the development (in its first phase) of 1,600 bed-space student hostels and ancillary facilities across 36 Nigerian tertiary institutions under a Design, Build, Finance, Maintain, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) arrangement. This project was awarded Infrastructure Deal of the Year at the 2024 Private Equity Africa (PEA) Awards.
• Advised Norfund and Serioplast on their multimillion-euro debt financing of a Nigerian recycling company in connection with the development of a 12,000-ton plastic recycling facility in South-West Nigeria.
• Advised a consortium of fund managers in connection with the establishment of the N1 trillion Triple A Renascor Infrastructure Fund sponsored by InfraCorp (an infrastructure project vehicle established by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Africa Finance Corporation and the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority) to originate, execute and manage end-toend bankable infrastructure projects in Nigeria.
• Advised Convergence Partners on its acquisition (and $10m convertible loan financing) of a Nigerian telecoms infrastructure services company.

• Investment funds
• M&A
• PPP/PFI
• Private equity
• Private equity funds
• Project development
• Project finance

• Energy
• Investment management
• Natural resources
• Real estate
• Social infrastructure
• Technology and telecommunications
• Transport

• LLB, University of Abuja, 2016
• BL, Nigerian Law School, 2018

• Nigerian Bar Association, 2018
• Nigerian Bar Association - Section on Business Law (NBASBL), 2022

• Nigerian Bar Association, 2018