Africa
Freshfields in Africa
Freshfields has been helping clients navigate Africa for many years. Combining extensive local knowledge with our global reach, our Africa-focused teams have a deep understanding of the legal, regulatory and business landscapes, as well as the myriad cultures, across the continent. Our seamlessly collaborative teams understand how to achieve the best outcomes for our clients in a way that is sustainable and provides a firm foundation for growth.
Clients turn to us often for their most complex African matters spanning the full spectrum of industries in which they operate. From mining, energy and infrastructure to telecoms, technology, consumer products and healthcare, we have been involved in some of the most significant matters on the continent, many of which are “first-of-a-kind” or “first-in-country” assignments that often help to forge legal precedents. Our clients know there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to working across the continent and so they rely on us to find bespoke and innovative solutions to their most critical needs in Africa. We also have deep ties with many of the local institutions, intermediaries, and through our StrongerTogether network, Africa’s top law firms that are critical to delivering outstanding legal and practical advice for any matter.
We share the enthusiasm of our clients in making a positive impact on local communities across Africa. We are proud to be active (and in some cases, founding) members of initiatives which help develop skills, provide new experiences, and opportunities for growth to real communities in the regions we operate, whilst also committing to a sustainable future. One example of this is the Reforestation in East Africa Programme (REAP) which has strengthened the livelihoods of over 55,000 farmers in Kenya and Uganda and empowers female business owners to thrive by providing world-class training, a community of best practice sharing, and access to educational materials to encourage diversification of income and build capacity.
"Highly regarded international law firm known for its handling of high-value, complex mandates on the African continent."
Chambers Africa
Africa-Wide Corporate/M&A Law Firm of the Year
Chambers Africa Awards 2024
Client successes in Africa
Egyptian Refining Company (ERC) on ongoing matters related to the development and financing of its hydrocracker refinery project in Mostorod, Cairo.
Sonker Bunkering Company on the development and financing of its proposed Bulk Liquids Terminal and FSRU terminal project at Sonker Port, Egypt.
Advising Ajinomoto, Japan’s largest food company, on its acquisition of a one-third stake in Promasidor, a +$1.5bn food group active in 36 countries across Africa.
Development Partners International on the creation of a $750m pan-African biopharmaceutical platform. This deal was awarded Private Equity Africa’s 2021 Large Cap Deal of the Year.
Advising Vivo Energy, which operates in more than 20 African markets, on its IPO.
We advised Vivo Energy on:
- the secondary offering of ordinary shares to certain institutional investors;
- the admission of the company’s entire ordinary share capital to the premium listing segment of, and to trading on, the main market of the London stock exchange; and
- a secondary inward listing on the main board of the Johannesburg stock exchange.
- a subsidiary of Vitol Investment Partnership’s US$2.3 billion recommended cash offer for Vivo Energy which was effected by way of scheme of arrangement.
Advising MTN Group on the exchange of its 51 per cent stake in INT Towers, a Nigerian telecom tower operator, for an additional stake in IHS, the largest independent tower operator in EMEA by tower count.
Acting for Tullow Group in an ICSID arbitration against the Government of Uganda arising from the taxation of its operations, having settled a related case arising from its production sharing agreements.
We represented the Republic of Kenya in an ICSID arbitration brought against it by WalAm Energy Inc. under the dispute resolution clause of a license to exploit geothermal energy issued under Kenya’s Geothermal Resources Act. The claim concerns revocation of the licence.
Blogs
Our team
Gabriel Mpubani Partner
London
Sylvia Noury KC Partner
London
Pervez Akhtar Partner
Dubai
Natasha Good Partner
London
Julian Makin Partner
London
Andrew Murphy Partner
London
Graham Watson Partner
London
Duncan Kellaway Partner
London
Doug Smith Partner
London