Havit Inc.

Expanding a business into international and demotic markets can be a strategic move to tap into new customer bases, increase revenue, and diversify operations. However, this effort is often hindered due to the lack of access to cost-effective financing solutions.

“Our primary focus is on providing clients with access to financial markets, particularly in Africa and Asia. In many countries across these continents, local banks struggle to support the projects adequately. Consequently, promising initiatives remain unattended for extended periods,” says Chukwunonso Vincent Iweanoge, principal director of Havit Inc.

Havit Inc. is a strategic advisory, financial marketing, and capital-sourcing services provider, helping organizations at every stage of their business development. The company understands each project in a way that makes it appealing to Development and Financial Institutions (DFIs). In the entire process, Havit Inc. keeps clients updated regarding the progress of their projects—the key to building transparent and positive client relationships.

Innovative Financial Investment and Business Development Solutions

Havit Inc.’s core portfolio comprises business development consulting, financial investment and transaction advisory, and government affairs services. It also helps clients, including banks, businesses, and governments primarily in Africa and Asia, identify energy and commodities trading opportunities while boosting their fundraising initiatives.

The company constantly seeks newer ways to create value for investors by leveraging its growing and robust local and international partner networks. Its advisory services provide clients with market readiness and feasibility studies, branding, negotiation support, and investment structuring syndication. Essentially, it informs clients regarding the benefits and drawbacks of engaging in a specific transaction and instructs on recommended practices.

Simultaneously, its government affairs services help clients expand internationally by giving them a direct interface with the desired administration. On a domestic level, it offers advocacy services to aid businesses in overcoming roadblocks caused by the local bureaucracy.

One of Havit Inc.’s core activities involves project structuring. For example, the company is currently examining a project that aims to facilitate intra-Africa trade between two countries. Havit Inc. started the project by recognizing the specific demand in one country. Next, the company identified whether the necessary market and resources to meet these needs were readily available in a neighboring country.

Once the demand and supply parties were identified, the company facilitated discussions between the parties, and the endeavor is now taking shape as a full-fledged project.

Project Structuring and Comprehensive Client Engagement

The biggest contributor to Havit Inc.’s success is its in-house team that collectively holds 30 years of experience, with professionals who’ve worked in both the banking and advisory sectors. They are adept at project structuring and meticulously examine each project to determine what adjustments are needed to make it financially viable. This is a crucial step as a project without financial feasibility is nothing more than a dream.

The company also prioritizes ongoing training of the team—both in-house and by leveraging its partnerships with DFIs—to stay current with market trends. For instance, last year, there were changes in terminology, such as ‘LIBOR’ becoming ‘SOFR.’ Havit Inc. made its team well-versed with all the intricacies of the changes to effectively drive clients toward their goals.

Its urge to understand customer demands and provide 100 percent customer satisfaction gives Havit Inc. a competitive edge in a market of generic services. When engaging clients, Havit Inc. adopts a five-step process involving analysis and discovery, goal setting, solution development, implementation, and evaluation. To begin with, it evaluates its operations to assess compliance postures and runs them through an internal process to ensure adherence to the KYC standards.

Once completed, Havit Inc. develops a non-competing non-disclosure agreement (NCNDA) to shield both parties from disclosed information. The next step is goal setting, where it establishes a timeframe and engages in discussions with external stakeholders.

In one instance, one of Havit Inc.’s clients operating in the field of infrastructure development, specifically focusing on road construction in Liberia, had been seeking capital for over two years through a pre-financed contract. Havit Inc. successfully restructured the client’s financial arrangement and presented the case to a DFI, allowing them to receive funding from an institution.

It took approximately six months to achieve this goal as the client was struggling with an improper organizational structure.

The extended timeline was also partly due to delays caused by the unavailability of certain required documents. However, despite these challenges, Havit Inc. secured the desired $11 million for the client, enabling them to complete the necessary infrastructure projects.

Broadening the Strategic Horizons

To continue its trail of success, Havit Inc. envisions expanding its current portfolio while maintaining the boutique organizational ethos. The company is committed to a controlled growth approach, prioritizing quality over rapid expansion.

“As part of this strategy, we are actively increasing our presence in various African countries,” says Iweanoge.

In the next two years, Havit Inc.’s goal is to establish a significant presence in at least one-third of African nations and successfully execute multiple key projects in these regions. Additionally, the company is exploring exciting opportunities in the Caribbean.

Over the next five years, the aim is to expand into at least five different countries, marking a significant step toward financial independence. This five-year plan, while ambitious, is rooted in a pragmatic approach. The short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals are carefully laid out, with the short-term objectives expected to be achieved by November 2024.

Additionally, Havit Inc. is in the process of launching a new venture called Havit Capital, with a primary focus on commodity trading and finance.

“We’ve identified a common challenge among smaller entities in need of capital for commodity trading. The combination of exorbitant interest rates and a dearth of collateral impede their advancement. To tackle this predicament, our objective is to offer quasi-equity financing, providing these organizations with the opportunity to procure commodities and employ them as collateral,” says Iweanoge.

Although Havit Capital is still in its infancy, the goal is to bridge the financing gap and support the growth of businesses in a work-in-progress endeavor that aligns with Havit Inc.’s strategic vision of finding the right mix of quality and growth.