Powerful Partnerships

Strong relationships between law firms with in depth local knowledge and those with global networks have become a winning formula in Africa. Nowhere is this more apparent than the partnerships established by Hogan Lovells and many of Africa’s top law firms.

To reflect these deepening bonds, lawyers from Hogan Lovells have teamed up with their African firm counterparts to produce the next three blogs in the “A Local Perspective” series which launched in 2020.

Water is often dubbed the new oil and nowhere is it more contentious, more scarce and more threatened than in Africa. Lawyers Nesma Abdelbary from Sharkawy & Sarhan in Egypt and Tony Nicholson formerly from Hogan Lovells’ Dubai office reflect on how water is a key global challenge where a solution is desperately needed to secure its sustainability.

Their blog looks at water from a project perspective, examining how a real-life example on the river Nile is impacting the nations dependent on this “father of all rivers.”

Read their blog here

Moving to West Africa, Abimbola Atitebi, a senior associate at Templars in Nigeria, and Bodunde Ajenifuja, a trainee solicitor at Hogan Lovells' London office, examine the 2020 oil price crash and what lessons can be learned from how it unfolded in Nigeria.

“Nigeria, like many other oil producing countries, also had to reduce its oil production benchmark volume following OPEC's production agreement,” they write.

Since publication of this blog, the Nigerian Petroleum Industry Act has become law and, as a consequence, it is hoped that a clear fiscal and regulatory framework will attract more foreign investment to the oil and gas industry, drive up production, and increase revenues.

Read their blog here

In the third blog, Sophia Nampijja, from Katende, Ssempebwa & Co. Advocates in Uganda, and Camilla Fröhlich, a foreign associate with Hogan Lovells’ Frankfurt office, analyse the impact of Covid on big business in Africa. They question how Africa will show its resilience and bounce back and which industries will lead the race. “The answer may be simple – energy, or more precisely, renewable energy that is decentralised, cost-efficient, clean, affordable and internationally supported, ” they write.

Read their blog here

All three blogs offer unique insights of how Africa is dealing with major issues that are impacted by global context.

The "A Local Perspective" series is part of the Hogan Lovells Africa practice's commitment to staying present in the pandemic. You can learn more about how the project started last year here

They have also been producing The A Perspective Podcast where partner and head of Africa practice, Andrew Skipper, interviews some of Africa's most prominent leaders. You can click here to listen to the latest edition and subscribe to these podcasts here.

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