african projects and transactions

• Standard Bank on the ZAR8.5 billion acquisition of a majority interest in listed Nigerian bank IBTC Chartered Bank (with Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie)  
• Barclays Bank PLC on the disposal of its custody business in nine African countries to Standard Chartered Bank (with Coulson Harney)
• Liberty Group Limited on the acquisition of Kenyan insurance companies (Heritage and CFC Life) from CFC Stanbic Holdings   
• Citadel Capital, a listed Egyptian private equity firm, in relation to the acquisition of a majority stake in Kenya Uganda Railways
• Due diligence in 15 African countries for Bharti Airtel in connection with its proposed merger with MTN
• The Kenya Government as part of a consortium lead by transaction adviser PricewaterhouseCoopers on the proposed privatizations of National Bank of Kenya,  Consolidated Bank of Kenya  and Kenya Pipeline Company  (Coulson Harney)
• Houses for Africa on the development of a low cost housing project in Abuja, Nigeria (with Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie)
• The establishment of an independent tower company to operate and manage passive infrastructure for use by wireless operators and the acquisition and construction of towers by the company in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa
• Korean company on a mining investment in Namibia
• Sasol on its drilling campaign in Mozambique
• Credit Suisse as international distribution agents for Celtel Zambia’s IPO
• Metorex Limited (listed London and JSE) on raising US $40 million to fund a significant new mining investment in the Democratic Republic of Congo
• Due diligence in South Africa, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic on behalf of a US private equity fund investing in a diamond exploration venture
• Botswana Telecommunications Corporation on privatization proposals
• A leading South African financial services company on the law and regulation relating to trading securities in Nigeria, Zambia, Mauritius, Egypt and Kenya
• Equity Bank on its cross-listing on the Uganda Stock Exchange (Coulson Harney)
• Due diligence in Ghana, Tunisia, Togo, Guinea, Benin and Liberia on behalf of a multinational security group
• Econet Wireless Group on its bid to acquire a controlling interest in Vee Mobile, the Nigerian mobile telecoms network
• Public Enterprises Evaluation and Privatisation Agency of Botswana on the proposed privatisation of Air Botswana
• Barclays Bank PLC on various matters in African countries where it has branches or subsidiaries
• Standard Bank on the acquisition of a majority stake in CFC Bank, Kenya
• Pretoria Portland Cement Company Limited on the acquisition of Portland Holdings Limited (listed in Harare) in Zimbabwe
• Due diligence on mining assets in Mozambique and Rwanda
• Standard Bank on the establishment of Standard Bank de Angola
• Silverbird Africa Holdings on the acquisition of Nu-Metro Cinemas Kenya from Avusa (Coulson Harney)
• NIC Bank on acquisition of Savings & Finance Bank in Tanzania (Coulson Harney)
• Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund on its investment in Seawolf, an oilfield services company in Nigeria
• Telkom on the acquisition of subsidiaries of M-Web in various African jurisdictions

Banking & Finance, Infrastructure and Projects

• Rand Merchant Bank in connection with the financing of the development of the Alausa Mall in Lagos, Nigeria (with Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie)
• Standard Bank in connection with Botswana Pula 1.2billion (US$ 175 million) financing for a mining project in Botswana
• Development Bank of South Africa on structured commodity financing in several jurisdictions across Africa
• Rand Merchant Bank (acting as MLA together with Standard Bank) on their proposed financing of a $110 million packaging plant in Angola for Nampak
• Metorex in its R3 billion capital and debt restructuring program, which involved a fresh equity capital injection of R744 million, a bridging finance facility of R300 million and a restructuring of the approximately R2 billion of current debt in relation to its operations in the DRC
• Industrial Development Corporation on the provision of finance for a project in Gabon
• Standard Bank, Industrial Development Corporation, Development Bank of South Africa and four Mozambiquan banks for the US$66 financing of the sugar industry of Marromeu in the Zambezi valley, Mozambique
• Copperbelt Energy Corporation on the second cross-border electricity interconnector between the DRC and Zambia
• Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) on the financing of a low cost housing project in Zambia
• Standard Bank on its sub-participation arrangements in respect of the financing of MTN Nigeria and export credit agency support arrangements
• Industrial Development Corporation on its provision of an Export Credit Insurance backed US$100 million facility for a project in central Africa
• Industrial Development Corporation in its provision of an Export Credit Insurance backed facility to a borrower for a project in central Africa
• Financiers (which included Standard Bank, the Industrial Development Corporation, Development Bank SA, Mauritian Commercial Bank and four syndicated Mozambican Banks) for the financing of a project to resurrect the sugar industry of Marromeu in the Zambezi Valley in Mozambique
• World Business Capital in relation to the funding of Blue Financial Services for the expansion of its business in Africa

Oil & Gas

• Sponsors and project company (Gigajoule South Africa and Matola Gas Company) on the project financing for construction of a gas pipeline from Ressano
• Exxaro Resources with regard to its drilling project in Botswana 
• Petro-line Holdings in relation to a proposed petroleum pipeline between South Africa and Mozambique
• Sasol on its onshore drilling programme in Mozambique

Telecommunications

• Telecom Lesotho on various regulatory and licensing issues, including a tariff dispute with the Lesotho Telecommunications Authority and a judicial review application in the Lesotho High Court concerning encroachment by other licensees on its exclusivity rights under its fixed-line operator licence
• International consortium on the regulatory aspects of the proposed installation of a submarine fibre-optic cable around the continent of Africa
• A multinational telecoms equipment supplier on a tender in Namibia
• Verizon on services agreements in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Seychelles and Cameroon
• Shareholders in telecommunication service licensees in Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Malawi on a range of regulatory and commercial matters
• Involved in drafting a new Electronic Communications Act for Tanzania
• SES-Global, an international satellite operator, on telecommunications regulation in various southern African jurisdictions

 Intellectual Property

• Standard Bank on the rebranding of its corporate tag line to “Moving Forward” across Africa
• Bacardi on its sub-Saharan IP work
• Nike, Enterprise Tiger Woods and Amazon on brand protection work across Africa
• Rio Tinto on its SADC IP registration programme

 Other

• An NGO on a forensic investigation into an alleged employee fraud in Senegal
• ExxonMobil’s Nigerian joint union management negotiation team on a workshop in Ghana in preparation for their wage negotiations
• A large multinational pharmaceuticals company on it distribution agreements in various countries in Africa including Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda
• International Labour Organisation on joint union management negotiation training in Mauritius
• IBM on tax and legal survey of 12 African jurisdictions
• Conducted mutual gain negotiation skills workshop for Exxon Mobil joint union management negotiating team in Nigeria