Meet Mr Pakistan
Mian Mansha: patriarch and perfectionist
Mian Mansha: building a business empire amid social and political turmoil
MCB partners with Maybank
Nishat's plans to list in London
Nishat: investing in Pakistan's infrastructure
Leadership at Nishat group
Projects beyond finance
Beyond banking, Mansha is shoring up huge quantities of capital needed to fulfil his aim of becoming the country’s largest power generator and infrastructure provider. First up: two new, blue-water port facilities on the Balochistan coast west of Karachi. The two ports, the first at Gaddani and the second at Khalifa Point, will together cost a minimum $5 billion. "We’re going to push the harbours there two miles inland, and bring in freighters loaded with coal to power our generators," says Mansha. About $3 billion will be raised from debt markets and the remainder from international equity markets, he says.
A significant chunk of the capital will be provided, Mansha hopes, by three multilaterals: the World Bank; its private sector arm, the International Finance Corp; and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Nishat Group has teamed up with Malaysia’s MMC Corp, which is also building ports in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. "Ports and power are the most exciting investments around at the moment," says Mansha.