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Clifford Chance hosts 80 African counsel at inaugural retreat

4 July 2013

Clifford Chance hosts 80 African counsel at inaugural retreat

Leading international law firm Clifford Chance recently hosted 80 counsel representing 60 law firms from 30 African countries at its two-day inaugural African Counsel Retreat in London.

The Retreat was aimed at bringing together Clifford Chance lawyers and leading African counsel whom the firm works with on a regular basis to strengthen existing ties further, improve working practices, enhance knowledge sharing and management processes as well as to exchange insights on current legal topics.

The Retreat also provided an opportunity for Clifford Chance's clients to meet with the firm's lawyers from its Africa practice and with the Africa-based counsel to discuss legal developments on the continent and how these may impact clients' businesses.

Malcolm Sweeting, Clifford Chance Senior Partner, said: "Our strategy for Africa is an integral part of our wider commitment to supporting our clients across growth markets.  Clients now, more than ever, want access to deep understanding of the complexities and nuances of the African investment landscape. Our knowledge and experience within the region are critical but so is our understanding and expertise in China, India, the Middle East and other markets which are increasingly important to Africa."

Kem Ihenacho, co-head of Clifford Chance's Africa practice, said: "The Retreat has been a fantastic opportunity to spend time with our African colleagues. This group of experts has been critical to the success of our African practice: our established network of relationships with counsel across the continent enables us to deliver the right support and advice to clients, combining global expertise with local knowledge."

Commenting on the event, Chike Obianwu a partner at Templars in Lagos, said: "It was a great opportunity to meet the wider Clifford Chance team and to be able to interact face to face with people I've worked with in the past. Clifford Chance did an excellent job putting together the right mix of people: this gave us a chance to offer each other feedback, to strengthen ties, to exchange ideas and to strategise on how we can do more work together."

Clifford Chance was ranked top tier by Chambers Global 2012 for its work in Africa. Recent mandates where the Firm has worked alongside African legal counsel include:

  • Advising Actis on the US$43m exit from listed Ugandan bank, DFCU, to Norfund and Rabo Development. The deal was the first of its kind and involved a block market trade on the Uganda Securities Exchange which was settled offshore in London
  • Advising on the debut US$300 million Eurobond offering by Nigeria's Fidelity Bank
  • Advising the lenders in relation to the financing of the third phase of the Azito Thermal Plant (Azito Phase 3) in Ivory Coast. This large-scale project, involving almost US$450 million of direct foreign investment, will enable the generation of an additional 1,000 GWh/year of electricity, without additional gas use or increased greenhouse gas emissions (due to the use of combined-cycle technology).