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Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance
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Africa<br />

Africa

We have worked in Africa for more than 50 years and as a full-service international law firm across the Continent. We bring global knowledge to international and African corporate, banks and financial investors within a local context.

A seamless service for complex transactions

Proud of offering our clients a seamless experience and focusing above all on their needs for a successful outcome, collaboration is at the core of our African practice. Our team works on complex, high-profile, innovative and often cross-border matters in all sectors across the Continent. We deliver our advice by combining our international experience from work across the globe, including from our 20+ Africa Practice Leaders, with the local knowledge of our Regional Teams and advice from Africa's local law firms. We maintain and develop robust and lasting relationships with African firms through a dedicated African Counsel Initiative, managed by our Regional Teams. We believe this model benefits our clients as it brings together our international sector and product expertise with the relevant expertise from the most suitable African law firms, all coordinated under a 'one-stop shop' approach.

A long-time commitment to Africa

In addition to the above, our pro bono work has long been a fundamental part of our commitment to the Continent and forms a traditional pillar of our strategy in Africa and is coordinated by a dedicated Africa pro bono team. Recently, we have been involved with several NGOs either in the context of their Covid-19 response work or for other programmes and initiatives in African countries, advising, for instance, on legal reforms or projects in the space of education, access to justice, healthcare and inclusion. Notably, our award-winning flagship Cornerstone initiative in Rwanda aims at improving well-being in the poorest communities in Kigali.

 

Diversity & Inclusion

Our team comprises a wide range of lawyers, each of whom bring their own culturally diverse experiences, which is what makes our Africa Practice so exceptional and influential. Diversity and inclusion are intrinsic values of our firm and among the pillars of our firm's code of conduct. Each member of the Practice offers a unique set of skills and expertise, shaped by their varying multicultural backgrounds and the different paths which they have taken to arrive at where they are. What ultimately brings them together is that they embrace their differences and make them their strengths.

Recent highlights

We are proud of our activity on ground-breaking and high-profile deals across Africa. Please visit our Africa regional pages to find out more about our client work.

 

Directory and client comments

Comments and rankings in independent legal directories show that clients recognise that our approach delivers results:

  • "Their experience and level of resources for Africa work is second to none"
  • "They are our go-to international counsel for the region"
  • "Clifford Chance are the firm we go to for large-scale and complex matters"
  • "Combine local expertise and global perspective on business"
  • "An in-depth understanding of the complexities and nuances associated with cross-border transactions in Africa"
  • "They're very, very strong in this area"
  • "They give very prompt, very detailed work and are very commercially oriented"
  • "They are very, very visible across the spectrum"
  • “The team are always very aware of market practice and precedent as well as of our business interests”
  • "Clifford Chance stand out to us as a strong Africa-focused team.
  • "Their knowledge of Africa is one of the best in the market."
  • "Very good experience, both locally and internationally, and they were proactive, commercially minded and extremely resourceful."
  • "A lead player in this vast developing market, and its involvement in Africa is going from strength to strength."
  • "Excellent continental advice."
  • "This firm is undoubtedly one of the leading Africa practices, with a clear commitment to a wide variety of projects and energy work."
  • "A leader in the African projects and energy market, demonstrating top-drawer capability in power, oil and gas, infrastructure and mining"
  • "Highly regarded international arbitration capacity"
  • "Possesses impressive expertise in a range of financial instruments"
  • "Acclaimed practice group regularly instructed by African sovereign entities and major corporate issuers on various capital markets arrangements and issuances across the continent."
  • "High-end Africa department representing blue–chip international and African clients in big–ticket mandates."
  • "They have experience in niche markets that a lot of others don't" 
  • "They have relationships that really help."

Chambers Global Africa-wide – Dispute Resolution – Band 1 – 2024

Chambers Global Africa-wide – Projects and Energy – Band 1 – 2024

Chambers Global Africa-wide – Corporate/M&A & Private Equity – Band 1 – 2024

Awards

  • Shapeshifter Award – African Private Capital Association Conference Awards 2024
  • National Law Firm of the Year: Morocco – IFLR Africa Awards 2024
  • Projects Team of the Year – IFLR Africa Awards 2024
  • Regional Law Firm of the Year: Francophone Africa – Chambers Africa Awards 2024
  • Morocco Law Firm of the Year – Chambers Africa Awards 2024
  • International Law Firm of the Year – The African Legal Awards 2023
  • Middle East and Africa Top Legal Advisor – Mergermarket M&A League Tables 2022
  • Legal Advisor of the Decade – Private Equity Africa Awards 2022
  • Overall Legal Advisor of the Year 2013-2022 – Private Equity Africa Awards
  • National Law Firm of the Year: Morocco 2022 – IFLR Africa Awards
  • Private Equity Team of the Year 2022 – IFLR Africa Awards
  • Project Finance Team of the Year 2022 – IFLR Africa Awards
  • Africa-wide Corporate Law Firm of the Year 2022  – Chambers Africa Awards
  • Morocco Law Firm of the Year 2022 – Chambers Africa Awards
  • MENA M&A Legal Adviser of the Year 2022 – Mergermarket European M&A Awards
  • Capital Markets Legal Adviser of the Year 2021 – Bonds & Loans Africa Awards
  • Best International Pro Bono Award 2021 – LawWorks Awards
  • International Law Firm of the Year 2021 – IFLR Africa Awards
  • National Law Firm of the Year: Morocco 2021 – IFLR Africa Awards
  • Private Equity Team of the Year 2021 – IFLR Africa Awards
  • M&A Team of the Year 2021 – IFLR Africa Awards
  • Restructuring Team of the Year 2021 – IFLR Africa Awards
  • Regional Law Firm of the Year: Francophone Africa 2021 – Chambers Africa Awards
  • Project Finance: Energy, Infrastructure, Natural Resources Team of the Year 2020 – IFLR Sub–Saharan Africa Awards
  • African Legal Adviser of the Year 2019 – IJ Global Awards
  • Deals Legal Advisor of the Year 2018-2019 – Private Equity Africa Awards
  • African Fundraising Deal of the Year 2018 – Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund – IJ Global Awards
  • Africa-wide Projects & Energy Law Firm of the Year 2018 – The Chambers Africa Awards for Excellence

Please visit our Africa regional pages to view our regional awards.

What we offer you

Complete geographical coverage

Our Africa Practice is truly pan-African and spans the entire continent. We deliver our services through our regional office in Morocco, five dedicated Africa Regional Teams, 20+ Africa Practice Leaders specialising in various products and sectors and more than 200 Clifford Chance lawyers around the globe, particularly in Paris, London, Amsterdam, Germany, the United States, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. They are experts in their fields, multi-lingual and culturally fluent.

Full-service capability

Each of our 20+ 'Africa Practice Leaders' has a specific focus on a sector or area of law. They are aware of the latest industry, legal and regulatory developments both globally and in Africa, bringing their knowhow and business acumen to the service of our clients. They strive for the same expertise and excellence in these areas in Africa as we do globally.

Meet our team

Working with the best African lawyers

Through our African Counsel Initiative, we are privileged to work in close collaboration with the top law firms in Africa, and we meet on a regular basis to nurture and deepen those relationships. Furthermore, we have developed our own Clifford Chance Africa Academy which provides world-class training for lawyers at the African law firms with which we work regularly.

africa-people

Our Africa practice in numbers

 

200 lawyers around the globe

20+ Africa Practice Leaders

5 dedicated regional teams

1 regional office in Morocco

400 active transactions in 43 African countries over the last 12 months

Resources

Careers

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News

Read about our latest work for clients, news and awards.

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Briefings

Our guides, briefings and insights keep our clients up to date with the latest legal developments.

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Our insights

all-that-glitters

All that Glitters… United States Issues "Africa Gold Advisory"

Cataloguing the full array of risks, on June 27, 2023, the U.S. Departments of State, the Treasury, Commerce, Homeland Security, Labor, and the United States Agency for International Development jointly issued an Africa Gold Advisory ("Advisory"). Like we have seen from this current Administration with the "whole of Government" approach, this Advisory, while not creating any new legal obligations, demonstrates a multi-agency focus in identifying areas of risk for companies, making recommendations for managing those risks, and reminding companies that this is an area of enforcement priority

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focus-on-hydrogen

Focus on Hydrogen: Achieving Africa's Clean Hydrogen Potential with European Initiatives

A number of countries in Africa have been identified as future sources of supply of clean hydrogen due to an abundance of land suitable for the production of wind and solar power, harbours that can be developed to serve export markets and, in the case of North Africa, a proven capability to supply energy to European markets using undersea pipelines.

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renewable-energy

Renewable Energy Sector Reform in Morocco - How Will it Impact the Market?

The Moroccan Government has undertaken a wide-ranging reform of the legal framework governing the renewable energy sector, including a new regime for self-generation. This includes a thorough revision of law 13-09, which for the last thirteen years has provided the regulatory framework or the production and sale of electricity from renewable energy sources in the context of private projects.

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trends-in-africa-merger

Trends in Africa Merger Control for Transport & Logistics

The past decade has seen an increasing number of national and regional competition law regimes being established for the first time across Africa, while existing regimes have become much more active in scrutinising transactions. Africa's transport & logistics sector presents significant opportunities for global investors as contrary to other sectors, it has been performing well since the COVID-19 pandemic, having benefited from an increasing global demand for reliable delivery of goods following a long period of supply chain disruptions.

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esg-trees-light-green

ESG: Trends to watch in 2022

Environmental, social and governance considerations are now mainstream and have an impact on all businesses, globally. We explore the ESG trends that we think will help shape the year ahead.

 Find out more about ESG: Trends to watch in 2022
promo-energy-transition

Energy Transition Trends 2022

There remains a narrow window of opportunity for timely action to address the climate crisis and still meet the Paris Agreement targets. The necessary transition from fossil fuels to low-carbon energy sources will require massive and sustained levels of investment in renewable energy, increased electrification, the development of electrofuels such as clean hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage to capture emissions that cannot be prevented.

 Find out more about Energy Transition Trends 2022
promo-hydrogen

Focus on Hydrogen: A new energy frontier for Africa

As African economies continue to further their green ambitions, clean hydrogen is increasingly viewed as an important pathway to reducing imports of fossil-based fuels and chemicals. In this briefing, we examine why Africa is well-placed for the development of a green hydrogen economy, and provide an overview on the various initiatives, strategies and partnerships in play across the continent.

 Find out more about Focus on Hydrogen: A new energy frontier for Africa
promo-renewable-energy

Doing Business in Africa: Financing projects, accessing liquidity and finding the right partner in a competitive market place

Two major themes were discussed at the meeting of minds:

  • Bankability of the power projects, mitigating offtaker and political risks
  • Structuring the right blend of financing
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HealthTech Trends 2022

What will the future of the healthcare sector look like? What will be the key drivers and which market segments are expected to grow?

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