Africa

By combining our deep regional experience with our U.S. regulatory expertise and global perspective, we deliver innovative, practical solutions to our clients operating across the diverse African markets. We advise multinational corporations, government entities, regional businesses, and individuals on U.S. regulatory and legal challenges that arise when operating in African markets, including those related to anti-corruption, business and human rights (BHR), economic sanctions, fraud, anti-money laundering (AML), workplace culture and conduct, antitrust, and international trade. 

Our clients benefit from our significant on-the-ground experience, our lawyers' fluency in French, Portuguese, Arabic, and Spanish, and our relationships with expert local practitioners. We have a well-established track record of working together with our clients — including those in the extractives, agriculture, financial services, healthcare, shipping, and telecommunications industries — to address the most complex legal challenges in the region, ensuring tailored solutions that drive impactful results. 

Our experience assisting clients across Africa includes: 

• Government & Internal Investigations. We have conducted internal and U.S. government-facing investigations into allegations of bribery, kickbacks, fraud, money laundering, workplace culture and conduct, human rights concerns, and economic sanctions violations for multinational corporations in more than a dozen countries in the region including Algeria, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Chad, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Libya, South Africa, Uganda. 
• Import/Export Assistance. We assist companies with navigating the complexities of international trade, including handling inquiries related to tariffs and on behalf of clients operating across Africa related to supply chain integrity from U.S. authorities such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
• Board of Directors Representations. We have represented the boards of global companies with operations in Africa, including the audit committee of a public global asset manager in connection with an independent Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigation involving conduct in Libya, the DRC, Chad, and Niger. 
• Integrated Risk Assessments. Our team has extensive experience conducting integrated risk assessments of operations for multinational corporations covering anti-corruption, sanctions, human rights, and other compliance areas. The work recently has included deploying lawyers to Angola, Algeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria. 
• Multi-lateral Development Bank (MDB) Sanctions Proceedings. We defend companies in MDB sanctions proceedings involving projects in Africa, including projects in Libya, Ethiopia, and Côte d'Ivoire. 
• Independent Compliance Monitorships. As part of multiple FCPA monitorships, we reviewed anti-corruption compliance programs and related internal accounting controls across Africa for a publicly traded U.S.-based company in the medical device industry and a U.S.-based engineering company. 
• Litigation. We represent clients based in Africa in U.S. litigation, including assisting clients obtain evidence from U.S. parties for use in non-U.S. litigation pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1782.
• Due Diligence and Transaction Counseling. We advise clients on U.S. law issues arising from contemplated or completed transactions in the region. For example: We advised a multi-billion-dollar hedge fund regarding third-party due diligence and ongoing monitoring of investments and third-party relationships in Egypt, Sudan, and South Africa. 
  • We have advised multiple clients in the oil and gas and energy sectors regarding anti-corruption-related structuring and risk mitigation measures in substantial merger and acquisition (M&A) and joint venture (JV) transactions in various countries, including Nigeria, Angola, Ghana, Egypt, and Liberia. 
  • We have conducted due diligence, including on-the-ground reviews of potential local partners and third-party service providers, and designed mitigation safeguards for clients in Angola, Mozambique, Egypt, and Nigeria, among others. 
• Compliance Counseling. We frequently advise companies with operations in Africa on wide-ranging, complex compliance issues that implicate U.S. regulatory regimes. 
  • Anti-Corruption and BHR. Our team has extensive experience advising clients on corruption risk across the region. For example, our lawyers advised oil and gas and telecommunications companies on anti-corruption compliance matters, including risks posed by third parties and physical security risks and associated corruption and human rights risks, in more than a dozen countries across the continent. Other representations include advising a global airport concessionaire in connection with cross-border compliance matters arising from a JV arrangement in Nigeria and partnering with local law firms to understand applicable laws affecting client's compliance with the FCPA, including in Gabon, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Egypt, and Angola. In addition, we have provided strategic counsel to companies on supply chain integrity, with a focus on ensuring compliance with regulations related to forced labor, human rights, and the sourcing of conflict minerals. For example, we have assessed risk and advised on appropriate safeguards in connection with large-scale infrastructure projects across the region with a view towards providing a comprehensive action plan to address corruption and human rights related risk. 
  • U.S. Sanctions. We advise international companies in the technology, financial services, oil and gas, real estate, and food and beverage sectors in connection with business activities in Africa regarding compliance with U.S. sanctions, including those on parties implicated in human rights abuses. A lawyer at the firm has also served as a U.S. legal expert in a foreign judicial proceeding related to a transaction involving a specially designated national in the DRC. 
  • AML. We advise international companies in the fintech, telecommunications, and manufacturing sectors on AML compliance matters, including trade-based money laundering, related to operations in various countries in Africa including Angola, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and South Sudan. 
• Industries in Focus. We have experience advising clients with operations in Africa across a wide range of sectors, with a primary focus on oil and gas, telecommunications, mining, infrastructure, agriculture, financial services (including fintechs), healthcare, shipping, and private equity clients.