About
Amanda Mapanda is a senior associate to watch in the projects space, with a particular focus on complex energy, infrastructure and transport transactions across Africa, the Middle East and other emerging markets. She advises lenders, development finance institutions and sponsors across the full lifecycle of major infrastructure projects, including project development, project financings and infrastructure-related M&A.
Amanda has extensive experience advising on large-scale and often first-of-a-kind transactions, including energy transition projects, transport infrastructure and social infrastructure PPPs. Her work frequently involves multi-jurisdictional risk allocation and the coordination of complex stakeholder groups. She is increasingly involved in managing client relationships, mentoring and supervising junior team members, and is trusted by partners to help drive execution on complex and sensitive transactions.
A lead member of Freshfields’ Africa Group, Amanda has played a leading associate role on a number of the firm’s flagship Africa-focused mandates and is an active driver of the firm’s strategy and business development initiatives on this platform.
Alongside her Africa practice, Amanda regularly works on high-profile projects and financings in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. She brings a strong commercial perspective to her work, having completed secondments at Terra Firma Capital Partners and a leading multinational energy company, supporting the in-house legal team on the structuring and execution of projects across multiple international markets.
Amanda is active in firm leadership initiatives and has received industry recognition for...
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Projects / Project Development:
- Advised the Roads and Transport Authority on the concession and project agreement to facilitate the carve out of Salik (as the operator of the electronic toll gate system in Dubai) and the sale of the Government of Dubai's existing shares in Salik through an initial public offering on the Dubai Financial Market stock exchange (DFM).
- Advised the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority on the development, financing, construction and operational aspects of a multi-billion AED PPP wellness and lifestyle facility project in Dubai.
- Advising a leading Africa‑focused infrastructure fund on the proposed acquisition of a minority equity stake in a 175MW power project and gas pipeline in Mozambique.
- Advising an African DFI on its partial risk guarantee for the three Menengai geothermal IPPs in Kenya.
- Advising an LNG company on proposed investments in floating LNG projects in Congo Brazzaville, Cameroon and Nigeria.
- Advising a leading global aluminium producer on joint venture arrangements, project development matters and stakeholder engagement relating to its mining interests in Guinea.
- Advising VINCI and Meridiam on the project financing of the Nairobi–Nakuru–Mau Summit Highway PPP project in Kenya.
- Advising lenders on project development aspects of the greenfield Electrogas LNG‑to‑Power project in Malta.
Project Finance / Finance:
- Advising Transnet SOC Ltd on a bridge‑to‑bond facility.
- Advising AfDB on a corporate loan to support Transnet SOC Ltd’s port and rail capital investment programme.
- Advising Sun King Nigeria on a senior secured financing denominated in Nigerian Naira.
- Advising lenders (HSBC, Bank of Valletta and KfW) on the development and financing of the Electrogas LNG‑to‑Power project in Malta.
- Advising lenders from bid stage to financial close on wind projects under South Africa’s REIPPP Programme.
- Advising lenders on bid submissions for three solar photovoltaic projects under South Africa’s REIPPP Programme.
- Advising lenders on the financing of a bio‑ethanol manufacturing plant in South Africa.
- Advising a consortium of development finance institutions on the financing and subsequent financial restructuring of the Etlik Integrated Health Campus PPP project in Turkey, and on ongoing operational matters.
- Advising a consortium of development finance institutions on the original €873.3m project financing of the Izmir Bayrakli and Kocaeli Integrated Health Campuses in Turkey, including the first and second financial restructurings.
M&A:
- Advised a major terminal operator on its acquisition of a significant equity stake in two holding companies owning a key container terminal concession in the Middle East, with an indicative enterprise value of approximately USD 800 million.
- Advising a private equity firm on the structuring aspects of its potential acquisition of construction‑phase port and pier development assets in Alaska and the Bahamas.
- Advising an institutional investor on its bid for the sale of a significant minority stake in a leading UK ports operator.
Amanda Mapanda
100 Bishopsgate