Kelly Mogbo

  • Partner
  • kelly@graysilicon.com

Kelly is a dual-qualified lawyer licensed to practice in both Nigeria and Canada. A distinguished legal professional and thought leader, he specializes in Finance, Corporate Structuring, Secured Credit Transactions, and Tax Law. His advisory portfolio spans private equity investments, securitization deals, and innovative financial solutions. He has also authored several articles on taxation, business operations in Nigeria, and developments in the natural gas industry.

Kelly is an active member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigerian Conflict Management Group (NCMG), and the Financial System Strategy (FSS 2020) initiative under the Central Bank of Nigeria. He also contributes to the National Assembly’s Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER), where he plays a key role in reviewing and reforming finance and business legislation.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the legal profession, Kelly was appointed African President of the World Jurist Association (WJA) following his participation in the World Law Congress in Madrid, Spain. In this capacity, he oversees WJA’s activities across the African continent.

He holds certifications in Negotiation of Financial Transactions from the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) and has trained at the Oxford International Study Centre on institutional administration best practices. A sought-after facilitator, Kelly regularly leads workshops on taxation, regulatory compliance, and corporate governance.

Fluent in English and possessing intermediate proficiency in French, Kelly engages effectively across multicultural and multilingual environments.

  • Corporate Structuring
  • Finance & Secured Credit Transactions
  • Tax
  • Regulatory Compliance
  • Corporate Governance
  • Played a key role in structuring the debut issuance of enrolment debenture instruments in Nigeria.
  • Led legal due diligence for an upstream oil & gas company in a high-profile transaction.
  • Led the legal team that negotiated, structured and drafted legal documentation for a N3 billion (US$8.33 million) blended finance transaction with a Nigerian State counterparty
  • Advised Nigeria’s only refinance company on a N11 billion (N29.3 billion) Series II and N10 billion (US$26.6 million) Series III Bond Issuance under its N440 billion (US$880 million) residential pass-through bond program. All series of the bond program were oversubscribed
  • drafted and negotiated finance and security documents in respect of over N35 billion (US$94 million) mortgage refinance transaction with a leading Nigerian bank
  • Advised several private equity and venture capital firms on strategic acquisitions.
  • Advised on the establishment of Free Trade Zones.
  • Contributed to the review of critical legislative bills, including the Microfinance Bill, Factoring Bill, Securitisation Bill, National Payment Systems Bill, Data Protection Bill, Bankruptcy & Insolvency Bill, and the Competition & Consumer Protection Bill.
  • Advised a vast range of international and local clients on finance, corporate structure, reconstruction, winding up, employment and labour law
  • advised on Nigeria’s first Enrolment Debenture program for the American International School.
  • Governance Professionals of Canada
  • Member, Law Society of Ontario
  • Member, Nigerian Bar Association
  • Member, Nigerian Conflict Management Group (NCMG).
  • Associate Member, Chartered Institute of Secretaries & Administrators (ACIS)
  • Associate Member, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (ACTI)
  • African President, World Jurist Association (WJA): Oversees legal initiatives across Africa.
  • Member, Nigeria’s Financial System Strategy (FSS 2020)
  • Member, National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER)
  • LLM (Banking & Finance), University of London, United Kingdom.
  • MBA, London School of Business and Finance (LSBF).
  • BL, Nigerian Law School.
  • NCA completion, Federation of Law Societies of Canada, Ontario, Canada.
  • Certified in Negotiation of Financial Transactions, United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR).
  • Trained at Oxford International Study Centre on best practices for institutional administration.