Our knowledge and experience of Africa's rich variety of legal systems, business transactions and local cultures, allied to our world-renowned specialist skills in different sectors, as well as our developing relationships with local law firms, mean that we are able to provide timely and focused support to both Africa-based clients and those wishing to expand their business into different parts of the vast continent.
We have both English-speaking and French-speaking lawyers who are experts in various industries including energy, mining, communications, IT, infrastructure, aviation and financial services fields and have advised in countries from north to south across the continent, such as Benin, the DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia.
We often represent African state-owned entities, public and private corporations, private equity institutional and private investors. For example, our unrivalled knowledge of the telecoms sector has made us the perfect partner for African governments and regulatory agencies wishing to review their legal, legislative and regulatory telecommunications frameworks, award mobile licences, and implement fibre infrastructure projects and broadband connectivity strategies.
We have a strong track record advising on a full range of African corporate transactions including M&A, disposals, takeovers, joint ventures and IPOs as well as on PPP, venture capital and private equity financings. We also have lawyers who specialise in dispute resolution and arbitration, and can help achieve enforceable remedies and settlements. We have experts as well in international trade agreements, including bilateral investment treaties.
Over the years, we’ve grown a network of local experts such as engineers, economists, risk analysts and lawyers, complementing our association agreements with two of the leading local firms, Dakhlaoui Avocats in Tunisia and ElAmari & Associés in Morocco, as well as close working relationships with high quality local firms in many of the leading jurisdictions north and south of the Sahara.
For more information about our Africa expertise please contact Colin Long or Matt Bonass in London, Gildas Louvel or Sophie Pignon in Paris, Coral Yáñez in Madrid or Pieter Camps in the Hague.
Recent highlights of work
The firm, and members of its Africa team have assisted:
> The French Government with the construction of a building for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kigali, Rwanda
> The Togolese Government in relation to the agreement of a mining concession (phosphates) and the successful negotiation of the concession agreement for the Port of Lomé in Togo
> an international oil compnay on the sale of its fuels marketing afiliates in several sub-Saharan African companies
> A consortium in the negotiation of the EPC and operation and maintenance agreements for two photovoltaic solar plants
> The Government of Mali to award a third mobile licence
> The governments and regulators of Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Bénin in reviewing and implementing their legal and regulatory telecommunications framework
> The Tunisian state in relation to the potential disposal of its 25% stake in a large mobile telecommunications operator
> A major Moroccan telecoms operator in relation to the acquisition of telecom operators in two African countries
> Liquid Telecom (part of Econet Group) on a number of commercial arrangements in relation to the roll out of its optical fibre network across South and Southern Africa
> A major Moroccan company in auditing, defining and improving its intellectual property policies and processes, as well as devising strategies to protect its inventions and trademarks in a global environment
> A steel company in relation to the negotiation of a PPP contract relating to a steel-manufacturing factory
> Advising Société Nationale d'Investissement (Morocco) in relation to the disposal of its 37.8 % stake in Centrale Laitière to Danone
> A South Africa-based group on the tax structuring of their international energy management activities.