FIRM BRIEFINGS AFRICAN HUB COUNTRIES
ters. Soo Fon Ip Min Wan specialises in private equity investment funds and has also been involved with a number of energy and infrastructure projects in Africa.
Matters The firm worked with Weil Gotshal & Manges to assist 8 Miles Fund on setting up a $450 million fund to invest into African consumer, en- ergy and utilities businesses and acted for ICICI Bank on a project fi- nancing for a 120MW hydropower station in Itezhi-Tezhi, Zambia. Another lending mandate saw the firm work with Norton Rose and
MDY Legal to advise GuarantCo on $50 million of financing to infra- structure project, mainly in East Africa, and a further $12 million fa- cility for the Kalangala Infrastructure Project. The latter comprises a ferry service, road upgrade and solar powered water supply systems to extend basic utilities to the largest island on Lake Victoria. The advice covered guarantor agreements and review of finance and security doc- uments.
MOZAMBIQUE CGA (Couto Graça & Associados)
2012 Firm Overview Cross-border matters
Angola
Highlight clients Vale Moçambique, Sasol New Energy Holdings, Grindrod, Investec
Key partners Pedro Couto, Jorge Graça, Taciana Peão Lopes
CGA is part of the LexAfrica network and associated with Cuatrecasa Gonçalves Pereira. It is the biggest law firm in Maputo and boasts some of the highest rated individual lawyers in the country, with Pedro Couto and Jorge Graça at the fore. “Graça is a top class lawyer and Couto also individually is very good,” says a lawyer from an international client. With work flow in Mozambique at its highest ever, demand for local
legal support on energy and infrastructure projects often overspills ca- pacity and as a leading firm CGA is in constant high demand. The firm has been active on the largest project in the country and spent a lot of 2012 working alongside Shearman & Sterling.
Matters The firm was advising Vale Moçambique as local counsel on the Nacala Port Coal and Malawi-Moatize Railway Concession PPP (public-pri- vate partnership) project and Vale Emirates on the negotiations, struc- turing, drafting and concession agreements for the Moatize Power Plant. The team was also acting a local counsel to Sasol New Energy Holdings in relation to the Ressano Garcia Power Plant and Grindrod on the extension project for the Maputo Coal Terminal. Other work saw the firm represent Investec regarding the Chokue Power Plant and Mitsui in relation to an LNG project.
SAL & Caldeira
2012 Firm Overview Highlight clients
Petroleum Operators Association, Chamber of Mines, Rio Tinto, Anadarko
Most active disciplines
M&A and joint-ventures, project finance (energy, resources and infrastructure), employment, public and administrative, tax
Key sectors Mining and metals, oil and gas, ports and shipping
Key partners José Caldeira, Sam Levy
SAL & Caldeira is possibly the most often recommended firm in Mozambique for energy and infrastructure. It has a large team and a full-service offering, covering litigation and transactional work for cor- porate, finance and other matters. Instrumental in the founding of the Petroleum Operators Association and Chamber of Mines, the firm is arguably head and shoulders above the rest in anything related to min- ing and metals. Clients regularly recommend US trained Sam Levy as a point of con-
tact and they are invariably positive about their experience with the firm. “Very impressed,” says one, “they are doing a very good job and we are going to keep going back to them,” says another. Levy is praised by one client as an especially hard worker while Eduardo Calú is noted an up and coming name in the market.
Matters José Caldeira led a team to close a deal for a foreign investor involving, due diligence, joint-venture agreements and sale and purchase of a $3.5 million asset. Sam Levy and teams assisted Ncondezi on a $350 million energy sector project signed with the government of Mozambique and a foreign investor on an ongoing infrastructure development valued at $1 billion. Levy, Eduardo Calú and team were also retained by the Pe- troleum Operators Association to advise on regulatory matters.
Scan Advogados e Consultores
2012 Firm Overview Highlight clients
Timcal, Mason Graphite, Ceza, Efacec
Most active disciplines Litigation, company and commercial, banking, project finance (infrastructure), EPC, employment, IP, land
Key sectors Mining and metals, oil and gas, rail, roads
Key partners Francisco Avillez, Oldivanda Bacar
Scan was established by Francisco Avillez, among others, and was orig- inally an off-shoot of Monteiro Graça & Associados (now subsumed into CGA). The firm has ‘best friends’ alliances with Bowman Gilfillan and the Portuguese branches of Uría Menéndez and Garrigues, as well as a good working relationship with some leading global law firms. It has an active practice in energy and infrastructure and especially
in mining and metals, where the team has recently been acting as coun- sel for two large graphite producers. Another strong area is the con- struction sector where the firm has been working on projects and company and commercial advisory.
ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE | SUB SAHARAN AFRICA 2013 63
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