FIRM BRIEFINGS OTHER JURISDICTIONS Etude Kabinda
2012 Firm Overview Most active disciplines
ADR, litigation, corporate and commercial, M&A and joint- ventures, asset finance, banking and finance, EPC, IP, land, public and administrative, tax
Key sectors Mining and metals, oil and gas, power
Key partners
Natacha Latere Van Hoeken, Paulin Mushindo Lupana, Alex Kabinda Ngoy
Managed by Alex Kabinda Ngoy, Etude Kabinda has been increasingly present in the busy DRC market and is undoubtedly one of the go-to firms in the country. “One person we see more and more in every single transaction is Alex Kabinda. He has been advising banks, sellers, ac- quirers, sponsors: everyone. He is really on the landscape,” says a part- ner of an international firm. The office fields a large team, most notable among them being senior
partners Natacha Latere Van Hoeken, who specialises in corporate and commercial, mining, tax and employment, Paulin Mushindo Lupana, who focuses on corporate company and mining law, and Michaux Sin- dani Ngoie, who handles employment and company matters. A raft of associates handles all manner of transactional and dispute matters while the office has good relationships with foreign firms including Bowman Gilfillan, ENS, Bryan Cave, Norton Rose, Salans, Jones Day and Sim- mons & Simmons.
Matters The team has been acting as legal counsel for the National Company
of Electricity (SNEL) and is experienced in drafting agreements be- tween mining companies and the National Society of Electricity. The firm has also recently been involved in the high profile Inga project, where it was advising Mag Energy.
GABON Project Lawyers
2012 Firm Overview Cross-border matters
Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea
Highlight clients EcoBank
Most active disciplines Company and commercial, corporate restructuring, PPP/PFI, project finance (energy, resources and infrastructure), public and administrative, tax
Key sectors Mining and metals, oil and gas, industry and manufacturing
Key partners Jean-Pierre Bozec
Independent Gabonese firm Project Lawyers was founded and is now led by Jean-Pierre Bozec. Bozec is highly recommended by a number of international clients operating in Gabon especially in the energy field. “He is very good at the oil and gas and mining side for M&A projects,” says a client. Bozec previously worked with a global law firm in Paris before join-
ing the legal department of Deloitte, where he worked in Gabon and France. He is in tune with international standards and widely recog-
ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE | SUB SAHARAN AFRICA 2013 83
nised for mining law expertise. The firm’s experience on energy and in- frastructure matters is substantial, with the office recently drafting an O&M for a power plant for a European electricity company and a turnkey contract for an infrastructure project for a US client, as well as coordinating a bid by US and EU oil and gas companies for offshore oil blocks in Gabon.
Matters The firm worked with Allen & Overy to assist BNP Paribas on a $2 billion refinancing project for the Perenco group following a reorgani- sation and advised EcoBank in relation to a pan-African financing proj- ect worth $250 million involving an agro-industry project in Gabon. On the sponsor side, the tea acted for Global Fertilizer Company,
providing Linklaters with local law support on a PPP (public-private partnership) between the state of Gabon, Olam and Tata Group for the development of a fertilizer plant in the new special economic zone of Port-Gentil. The firm was also working on a PPP project and project financing for Sustainable Forestry Management, involving eco-tourism complexes, forestry, fishing and agro-industry matters.
GAMBIA Amie Bensouda & Co
2012 Firm Overview Cross-border matters
Sierra Leone
Most active disciplines Litigation, company and commercial, M&A and joint-ventures, banking, PPP/PFI, project finance (infrastructure), employment, IP, land, tax
Key sectors Oil and gas, airports and aviation
Key partners Amie Bensouda
Amie Bensouda & Co takes on all manner of contentious and non- contentious work for energy and infrastructure matters. Senior partner Amie Bensouda previously helped draft national petroleum regulations and is a specialist in oil and gas law as well as an arbitrator, while junior partner Abdul Bensouda has recently been leading the office on pub- lic-private partnership (PPP) projects. The firm advises drill ships and rig companies and has a relationship with IP firm Adams & Adams, a leading South Africa firm in the field.
Matters At the start of 2013 the firm was acting as local counsel to a DFI on a loan facility of $15 million to the Gambian Port Authority to finance the development of a container terminal and the rehabilitation of ex- isting terminals. The firm also worked on local law issues for a telecoms company in relation to a PPP with the government of Gambia for the construction of a fibre optic cable. The matter, valued at $25 million, was also being backed by DFIs.
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