MINING in AFRICA a Legal Overview
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MINING IN AFRICA A Legal Overview www.dlapiper.com | 01 CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................. 04 Algeria ........................................................................................................................................................................ 06 Angola ........................................................................................................................................................................ 08 Botswana ...................................................................................................................................................................10 Burkina Faso ..............................................................................................................................................................12 Democratic Republic of Congo ............................................................................................................................14 Egypt ...........................................................................................................................................................................16 Gabon .........................................................................................................................................................................19 Ghana ..........................................................................................................................................................................21 The Republic of Guinea ..........................................................................................................................................24 Ivory Coast ............................................................................................................................................................... 26 Kenya ......................................................................................................................................................................... 28 Liberia ........................................................................................................................................................................ 30 Libya ............................................................................................................................................................................32 Mali ............................................................................................................................................................................. 34 Mauritania ................................................................................................................................................................. 36 Morocco .................................................................................................................................................................... 38 Mozambique ............................................................................................................................................................. 40 Namibia ......................................................................................................................................................................43 Nigeria ....................................................................................................................................................................... 45 Rwanda ...................................................................................................................................................................... 48 Sierra Leone ............................................................................................................................................................. 50 South Africa ..............................................................................................................................................................52 Tanzania ......................................................................................................................................................................55 Tunisia .........................................................................................................................................................................57 Uganda ........................................................................................................................................................................59 Zambia ......................................................................................................................................................................61 Zimbabwe ................................................................................................................................................................. 64 Our Global Presence ..............................................................................................................................................67 Key Contacts .......................................................................................................................................................... 68 INTRODUCTION The future is bright for mining in Africa. Over 30% MINING, RESOURCES AND ASSOCIATED of the world’s global mineral reserves are found in INFRASTRUCTURE EXPERIENCE Africa, yet less than 5% of the total global mineral Mining is a global business and transactions and exploration and extraction budget is invested in the disputes have an increasingly international dimension. continent. The potential for a burgeoning mining industry The DLA Piper Group has unparalleled mining, resources across these two emerging regions is immense. and associated infrastructure expertise in the major mining In Africa, infrastructure building is critical for the regions around the world, including Australia, Africa, continued growth of the mining sector. Reports by leading Russia, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the United States. global advisories suggest that African governments are The breadth of our global practice allows us to represent at present unable to meet demand for key infrastructure our clients on everyday issues as well as to deploy cross- including rail, ports and energy projects. In response, border teams on large-scale international transactions private participation and investment is being actively and disputes. We act for regulators as well as industry, encouraged and sought after. including clients involved in extraction, processing, The opportunities for mining, resources and infrastructure distribution, infrastructure and trade. In addition to companies are impressive, however there are also many legal services, we provide advice on government affairs, obstacles, and governments, as part of the quest to diversify lobbying and crisis management. and capitalise upon their mineral rich countries, are realising the need for modern, open and transparent AN INTRODUCTION TO DLA PIPER regulatory frameworks. DLA Piper is the truly local, truly global law firm where Many countries in Africa have either recently introduced everything matters. With more than 4,200 lawyers based or are working on new mining laws that seek to encourage in 31 countries throughout Asia Pacific, Europe, the investment. These are the first steps towards the formation Middle East, Africa and the United States, we provide of a world-class mining industry that has the potential our clients with trusted local expertise and access to to contribute significantly to economic growth and seamless multi-jurisdictional legal capabilities. employment prospects in the region. Across Asia Pacific, we have more than 700 lawyers based Support has been offered by institutions, including the in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and World Bank and the International Finance Corporation, to Thailand. We have approximately 600 lawyers based in develop transparent and investor-focused mining laws. At Australia. a government level, many African countries have devised mining concessions and specific import duty exemptions Africa to encourage foreign investment in infrastructure building and mining exploitation. The DLA Piper Africa Group brings together the resources and expertise of DLA Piper’s global practice and leading This report is intended to provide a high-level snapshot of law firms in many jurisdictions across Africa. The combined the mining industry and regulatory framework in the Sub- experience and geographic representation produces an Saharan Africa region, prepared on the basis of publicly exceptional integrated service across Africa. available information. We are very grateful to the firms which have contributed to the national content of this With a strong team of lawyers we can call on across document. Africa, and globally, we are able to project manage the specialist expertise of lawyers in different jurisdictions to provide integrated, cost-effective advice in a number of commercial and legal environments. 04 | Mining in Africa Having lawyers on hand with first-hand experience of Our lawyers have extensive experience advising on the structures that suit local and international financial corporate, projects/construction and finance aspects for institutions, we can deliver bankable projects. large-scale mining, resources and infrastructure projects in most corners of the world. We are able to provide documents