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Africa Brochure V08

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Africa Brochure V08 Africa Contents 6 Our approach in Africa 8 How we can help you in Africa 9 Corporate responsibility in Africa 10 Highlights of recent work 12 Our experience in Africa 24 Working with Governments in Africa 26 Key contacts Africa 3 Foreword Slaughter and May is a leading international law firm that provides cross‑jurisdictional legal advice that genuinely reflects what ‘global’ means for our clients. We have been at the forefront of transactions in Africa for a number of decades and have considerable knowledge of working in this diverse continent. We have, for example, advised the Government of Botswana on a broad range of work for more than 35 years and have worked on major oil and gas financings in several parts of the continent. Our experience of working in Africa encompasses many different sectors and all types of transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, projects and project financing, capital markets, dispute resolution, and providing general corporate and commercial advice to a wide range of companies and public sector organisations. This brochure highlights some of our corporate, financing and dispute resolution work in, and related to, Africa. We would be delighted to provide further information about our Africa Practice Group. Contact details for the relevant individuals within the group are set out on page 26 of this brochure. Chairman, Africa Practice Group Africa 5 Our approach in Africa Slaughter and May is a leading international law firm recognised by the global business community for its quality of service, commercial awareness and commitment to clients, with a diverse and extensive corporate, commercial, dispute and financing practice. In Africa, we work as we do elsewhere, by combining the expertise of our own lawyers with that of leading African law firms with whom we co-operate to provide an integrated service of the highest quality. No law firm is truly global and every firm needs to rely on local firms in the great majority of jurisdictions. Co‑operation with the leading Market‑leading combination African law firms Working together with local firms Over the years we have developed delivers a powerful combination close working relationships with the of our extensive experience of leading law firms across Africa that we cross-border transactions and the believe are positioned to provide the expertise and connections of the best best local advice. lawyers in Africa. This is particularly important in a continent where the Building on a long-standing joint legal and regulatory environment is track record, we have invested in developing rapidly. joint training and cross-secondment programmes to be able to deliver an Our combined approach delivers: integrated and seamless service to • Market leaders with influence our clients. • Highest quality advice at a competitive price • Access to critical regulatory experience • Client focus: our approach is to work flexibly to suit the client’s project and operating style. 6 Slaughter and May Our Africa initiatives We have a number of Africa initiatives • We have created the Leadership to develop our relationships in Africa Forum, a one day programme and to support clients working in focusing on the challenges and the continent. opportunities facing senior partners managing law firms • We have established a regional training programme, the Practical • We have compiled know-how and and Legal Exchange, African training packs, which are sent Symposium (“PLEASe”) regularly to our relationship firms and an ongoing e-Support initiative, • We have developed our EXPLORE which assists African law firms with secondment programme that ad hoc legal questions invites senior lawyers from our Africa relationship firms to spend three weeks with us in London “Fostering close relationships is what we have always done, everywhere. We work with leading law firms across the continent to support our clients working in Africa.” Ngozie Azu, Slaughter and May Africa 7 How we can help you in Africa Slaughter and May has had a practice focusing on Africa for over 35 years. Our Africa Practice Group comprises We welcome discussing with clients, lawyers across our London, Hong potential clients and independent Kong and Beijing offices who provide law firms how we can work together a full service across all key sectors, and provide pre-eminent expertise including banking and finance, and a comprehensive package of telecommunications, infrastructure, legal excellence. energy, mining and projects. They support both African clients working in Africa and elsewhere and non-African clients working across the world. The breadth and duration of our experience in Africa has provided us with a deep understanding of legal systems, local cultures and socio-economic considerations. This, combined with our strong track record as a leading international firm, enables us to provide a real value added service to clients doing business on the continent. 8 Slaughter and May Corporate responsibility in Africa We are committed to corporate responsibility and work hard to make a positive impact on the world around us: investing in our community, preserving our environment and treating everyone, whether inside or outside the firm, with attention, courtesy, respect and consideration. We welcome the opportunity to explore collaborative community and pro bono projects with clients, and other law firms, and are keen to explore joint initiatives where our community programmes are aligned. We have engaged in a variety of African pro bono projects over a number of years. These include: • advising the Government of • under the auspices of the Financial Somaliland in relation to the Services Volunteer Corps, providing development of Somaliland’s a series of seminars and roundtable electricity sector, including discussions to staff of central banks recommendations on the formation and financial regulators of the East of a national electricity company and African Community member states providing analysis to progress the on the EU legal framework for development of rules and regulations financial markets for the electricity sector • supporting African Revival, a charity • advising the South African that works in Zambia, Uganda and Department of Trade on the South South Sudan to provide children with African Company Law Review a quality education • advising on the establishment and • advising FlipFlopi Dhow on registration of a charity defending the project’s legal structuring, justice and promoting human and operational and expansion needs. fundamental rights in Libya FlipFlopi is a boat built from waste plastic collected from the beaches and roadsides in Kenya and the world’s first recycled plastic dhow set sail in September 2018. Africa 9 Highlights of recent work We work across the whole continent Libya An industrial engineering Egypt company in relation to a dispute Central Bank of Egypt on under a drilling rig sub-contract. its $3.1 billion repurchase Algeria See page 18. Wataniya Telecom transaction with a consortium in relation to a of international banks. US$490 million See page 16. project financing. Kenya and other See page 18. jurisdictions Reliance Industries on its acquisition of a majority Cote d’Ivoire stake in Gulf Africa Petroleum Svenska Petroleum Corporation. See page 14. Exploration on a borrowing base Mozambique financing for the PTT Exploration & Production Baobab Development Public Company, Thailand’s Project. See page 17. national petroleum exploration and production company, on a recommended offer Ghana for Cove Energy. See page 13. Diageo on its acquisition of additional shares Madagascar in Guinness Ghana Hony Capital on its acquisition Breweries. See page 13. for up to US$100 million of a 15% indirect interest in the Soalala iron ore mining Nigeria project. See page 14. Providing English law support on the sale of 99.9% of the Rwanda Shares of Emerging Markets Atlas Mara on its subscription for Telecommunications Services Limited shares in the Banque Populaire du by its syndicated Lenders through an Rwanda (BPR), and the subsequent auction process. See page 12. merger of Atlas Mara’s wholly owned subsidiary, BRD Commercial Bank Zimbabwe (BRDC), with BPR. A multinational bank in connection with the client’s Malawi sanctions compliance. Advising the PPP Commission on a See page 16. Botswana range of PPP initiatives. See page 17. The Government of the Republic of Botswana on South Africa a board range of work over Sasol on the refinancing of its existing a period of more than US$1.5 billion revolving credit facility 35 years. See page 24. and various bilateral credit facilities. See page 17. 10 Slaughter and May Africa 11 Our experience in Africa Corporate and M&A • a global integrated commodities • Unilever in relation to a partial tender trading house on the sale of a offer by its subsidiary, Unilever mine in Democratic Republic of Overseas Holdings BV (Unilever the Congo Overseas Holdings), to increase its equity stake in Unilever Nigeria PLC • Providing English law support from 50.10% to 75% on the sale of 99.9% of the Shares of Emerging Markets • Mercer, part of the Marsh & Telecommunications Services McLennan Companies group, on its Limited by its syndicated Lenders acquisition of a 34% stake in South through an auction process Africa-based Alexander Forbes group in Nigeria • Vitol on: • Atlas Mara on its subscription for shares in the Banque Populaire du - the proposed acquisition of a Rwanda (BPR), and the subsequent minority interest in a Cameroonian merger of Atlas Mara’s wholly owned
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