Corporate/M&A & Private Equity | Global

Clifford Chance is recognised for its high-end Africa department which represents blue-chip international and African clients in big-ticket mandates. The firm is an especially active player in the PE field, where it advises on a broad array of fund formations and buyouts, while the corporate team is also well versed in acquisitions, joint ventures and group restructuring. Clifford Chance is particularly prolific in its work for energy-focused funds, as well as assisting with investment in sectors such as agriculture, real estate and telecoms. The group also has notable activity in M&A matters relating to infrastructure projects. Lawyers with deep experience in African transactions are located across multiple offices in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia, with the practice primarily run from London, Paris and Casablanca.

Linklaters operates a prestigious Africa group which maintains its position at the fore of the market and features on a number of the region's most high-profile transactions. The team advises major international funds, as well as energy, mining, and oil and gas corporations, on strategic investments and divestments across the continent. The firm maintains significant expertise in OHADA law, counselling clients on issues relating to mining projects, telecoms acquisitions and the establishment of joint ventures. Linklaters has an enviable platform from which to cover Africa's main linguistic regions, with teams in London, Paris and Lisbon all engaged in the Africa practice group. In addition, the firm maintains close relationships with several major African law firms, and stands out particularly for its ongoing alliance with Webber Wentzel in South Africa.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is well known for its handling of high-value mandates in Africa. The team advises on inbound M&A transactions across the region, acting for clients based in every corner of the globe, as well as assisting with global transactions that have major African components. The group plays a significant role in the energy and oil and gas markets, regularly featuring on acquisitions and joint ventures, in addition to financings and share offerings. Additionally, the firm plays a considerable role in the continent's PE market. The group is particularly noteworthy for impressive track record of deals relating to Egypt and the Maghreb region. The Africa practice at Freshfields is primarily run from London and Dubai.

A highly regarded practice with particular proficiency concerning OHADA law, Gide Loyrette Nouel offers comprehensive services covering francophone Africa and North Africa generally. The team represents a number of African private equity funds, as well as international conglomerates, in their acquisitions, divestments and joint ventures. The firm is particularly active in transactions involving energy and oil and gas projects and assets. Gide's Africa expertise is spread across a number of its offices, with the practice being primarily run from Paris, Algiers, Casablanca and Tunis. Additionally, clients benefit from the firm's strategic alliance with market-leading South African law firm Bowmans.

White & Case operates a well-resourced Africa practice. With notable depth in London and Paris, the firm also has impressive capabilities in Johannesburg and Cairo. It is regularly active on healthcare and pharma transactions, but of late the firm has been especially active on tech-related deals, including in the areas of fintech and e-commerce. The department advises African corporations and international clients on M&A, investments and matters of OHADA law. Additionally, it has a strong client following of international PE houses and financial institutions.

This practice is a prominent fixture in the African legal market, including the OHADA region. The firm features on a number of high-value, cross-border mandates in M&A and private equity, acting for international acquirers and investors, target companies and banking bodies on an array of acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic investments. The department also demonstrates considerable sector-specific knowledge in areas such as financial services. Key members of the team are based in London, Paris, Casablanca and Johannesburg. Additional lawyers with extensive Africa expertise are based in a multitude of offices around the globe. On 1st May 2024, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling merged to form A&O Shearman.

Renowned Kenyan law firm Anjarwalla & Khanna (A&K) has an impressive reputation in the region. It moreover has an expansive reach across Africa through its coordination of ALN, its network of allied law firms. The firm is consistently retained by African clients for advice on M&A and corporate restructurings in the TMT and financial services spaces, with frequent roles on cross-border mandates. ALN members are also regularly sought out by international law firms for support as local counsel in various African jurisdictions. A&K additionally represents overseas corporations and private equity funds in a variety of inbound acquisitions. As well as assisting with transactions, the firm is well placed to provide guidance on regulatory issues such as competition compliance.

Bowmans is well known as a leading law firm in South Africa and maintains top-tier practices elsewhere on the continent as well, including in Kenya, Tanzania and Mauritius. It is a particular favourite among South African clients with ventures and operations outside the jurisdiction, but it also has a strong track record of servicing multinational corporations. The team regularly advises on high-value and cutting-edge M&A transactions, and is frequently to be seen counselling PE funds on buyouts. Alongside its impressive continental platform, Bowmans maintains close relations with standout law firms in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Zambia in addition to a strategic alliance with one of the leading names in francophone Africa, Gide Loyrette Nouel.

ENS is noted for its significant presence across sub-Saharan Africa, with a strong team in its South African base, as well as impressive groups in Mauritius, Uganda and Kenya, among other jurisdictions. The firm's sizeable team of experts often handles high-value, cross-border M&A across various industry sectors, including telecoms, energy and financial services, with further experience spanning all manner of corporate transactions and restructurings. The firm has a varied client list of African and international corporations and also regularly assists institutional investors with incorporation and compliance issues, as well as acquisitions and divestitures.

Norton Rose Fulbright maintains a well-established practice dedicated to the OHADA region and is a prominent presence across the rest of Africa. The team is regularly active on high-value, cross-border M&A and PE transactions occurring in a variety of sectors. In particular, the team is noted for its advice on investments, acquisitions and divestments across the energy and natural resources sector, with prominent clients in mining, oil and gas, and renewables. The Africa practice is run from multiple offices including London, Paris, Casablanca and Johannesburg.

Baker McKenzie maintains a solid Africa practice, with teams in Casablanca, Cairo and Johannesburg often working in tandem with the London office. It has a strong track record advising PE houses and investment holding companies, and is regularly instructed on global M&A mandates with African components. The Egypt office continues to be noted as a leader in its jurisdiction, while the firm's South African corporate team has recently been bolstered by multiple lateral hires.

DLA Piper is distinguished by the extensive footprint of DLA Piper Africa, an alliance of independent local law firms which includes market-leading teams in Kenya, Mozambique and a number of other countries. DLA itself represents a diverse client list of African and global organisations, with investment banks, private equity houses and other big-name corporations featuring prominently on its client list. It often counsels on multi-jurisdictional acquisitions, inbound investments and divestitures, and has a notable track record in the energy, infrastructure and mining sectors. In addition to its network, the firm maintains African offices in Casablanca and Johannesburg.

Portuguese law firm Miranda & Associados is renowned for its connections throughout lusophone Africa, as well as having a strong portfolio of mandates in francophone jurisdictions. Clients benefit from its network of independent law firms, the Miranda Alliance, which features numerous highly rated practices across the continent and around the world. The team is particularly well regarded for its handling of transactions in the emerging oil and gas markets of Angola and Mozambique. In addition, Miranda also has a solid track record of advising on transactions in the mining and telecoms sectors. Other areas of expertise include corporate restructurings and joint ventures, as well as licensing and regulatory compliance mandates.

Well-known South African law firm Webber Wentzel is noted for its presence on cross-border mandates in sub-Saharan Africa. The firm possesses a strong knowledge base, regularly acting for clients in the oil and gas, mining, real estate and manufacturing industries. The firm is particularly commended for its role advising international and African VC and PE funds on their transactional activity, and also represents a host of international corporate clients derived from Europe and Asia. Webber Wentzel possesses additional reach and resources through its alliance with Linklaters, in addition to maintaining close relationships with a number of additional law firms in other African jurisdictions.

Akin is especially active on private M&A and in the private equity space more generally, leveraging the firm's strong credentials in fund formation to assist clients with an array of high-value buyouts. It represents asset managers as well as private investors on acquisitions, divestments and the formation of joint ventures. Recent deal activity has covered jurisdictions as diverse as Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya, as well as sectors such as oil and gas, healthcare and real estate. The London office is the principal hub for the firm's Africa practice.

ASAFO & CO. is noted for its pan-African reach and strong client relationships. It represents a range of regional and international clients, including public and private sector players. The firm is active on transactions across a similarly diverse spectrum of business sectors, notably including energy, natural resources and healthcare. The firm's coverage spans the continent, with a physical presence in Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco, South Africa and Kenya, as well as Africa-focused teams located in Paris, London and Washington, DC.

CMS is a solid choice for midmarket M&A deals and offers impressive experience when it comes to transactions in Africa. The firm has an extensive regional footprint, with offices in several key jurisdictions, including Kenya and South Africa. From an international perspective, partners based in London, Paris and Lisbon are well versed in handling acquisitions, divestments and related corporate structuring issues across the anglophone, francophone and lusophone regions of the continent. The team often acts for private equity clients and is consistently to be seen on energy and natural resources, financial services and technology transactions.

Dentons possesses an impressive reach across Africa. The Africa team offers skill and proficiency across a range of disciplines, including corporate, finance and projects-related mandates. Showcasing solid local teams in Kenya and Nigeria, among other countries, Dentons has a strong understanding of issues in the energy, oil and gas, and infrastructure sectors. It advises domestic clients on outward investments as well as acting for international corporations acquiring assets on the continent. Other notable affiliates can be found in South Africa and Morocco, with further support derived from several of the firm's international offices, including London and Paris.

VdA is a well-known Portuguese law firm with considerable resources dedicated to transactions across lusophone Africa, particularly Angola and Mozambique. The firm is noted for its experience advising on the privatisation of state-owned entities, as well as investments into infrastructure development. The team possesses deep experience in a number of key industries, including the energy and power sectors, as well as financial services and manufacturing.