From Aristotle to Einstein, philosophers and physicists throughout the ages have spoken of the importance of energy, whether it’s “the essence of life”, or “energy is everything”. So perhaps it’s no surprise two of our top five stories of 2024 followed on from an African Energy Disputes Roundtable that Africa Legal hosted with the UK Ministry of Justice GREAT Legal Services campaign at the British Embassy in Paris.
As many countries strive for energy independence, the size and frequency of energy projects is growing, and so are the number of disputes. In our most-read story of 2024, Robert Wheal of White & Case discussed the complexities of African energy disputes and importance of integrating African expertise and international practices. He called for a collaborative approach with greater respect for African counsel, and more capacity building and exchange of ideas between international and African legal practitioners.
In our fourth most read story, Sarah McKenzie of Webber Wentzel also emphasised collaboration, while discussing how South African energy disputes were being run against the backdrop of an energy crisis, meaning careful management was critical. She underscored the important role lawyers play in influencing government and regulators.
The key challenge and opportunity facing Africa in coming years will be driven by energy transition, and lawyers have the responsibility to help guide the conversation, said Deji Adegoke, head of White & Case’s Africa practice, in another of our top stories of 2024.
In our most popular article of May, Mozambique’s huge renewable energy potential, government goals, and recent moves were canvassed by Pedro Couto and Gisela Graca of Couto Graça & Associados (CGA), which is part of global legal organisation CMS.
Alongside energy, the future impact of economic liberalisation in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation, grabbed readers’ attention in 2024, with three of our top 10 articles overall. In our second most read story of 2024, Mekdes Mezgebu discussed how Ethiopia has seen an unprecedented level of legislative reforms in the past five years, primarily aiming to attract investment and spur economic growth.
In another popular article, Mehrteab Leul Kokeb of Mehrteab & Getu Advocates in Addis Ababa discussed how Ethiopia’s largest law firm used a ‘one-stop-shop’ approach to serve client needs in a changing nation and be recognised as a top tier firm by IFLR 1000, Chambers & Partners, and The Legal 500. Our eighth most popular story of 2024 was dynamic Ethiopian practice DABLO Law Firm being propelled onto the international stage by joining the Alliott Global Alliance, with its 300 offices in 100 countries.
To close the year, our most read story in December was Addisu Hailegebriel and Arega Fentahun of DABLO Law discussing the importance of handling commercial disputes in a win-win manner as Ethiopia becomes an increasingly attractive investment market.
Innovation and the evolution of legal practice were other key threads that spun through many of our most popular articles and podcasts in 2024, regardless of sector or locality.
Our most popular podcast episode of 2024 was James Kamau of DLA Piper Africa talking with Scott Cowan about how ESG is not just a trend, but rather a crucial framework for ensuring long-term business sustainability and ethical operations.
A later episode with James and Scott was our most popular piece of any kind for October, discussing the shift from I-shaped lawyers (deep expertise in specific areas) to T-shaped (legal expertise with broader business knowledge) to O-shaped lawyers who embody adaptation, innovation, and the capability to address complex challenges.
Other most-read stories for 2024 included Joseph Jalesi, senior partner at Dentons Eric Silwamba, Jalasi & Linyama in Zambia, sharing his journey and the evolution of legal practice, and Catherine Kariuki Mulika and Janet Othero of TripleOK Law discussing the power of innovation and new opportunities in the Silicon Savannah. Tasleema Dramat of Lighthouse Law shared innovations in legal service delivery for in-house counsel.
In another of our Top 10 most-read stories of the past year, early in 2024 mining expert Warren Beech projected likely trends in the extractives industry. As we now look ahead to 2025, including a revamped GC Forum Extractives in Cape Town on 5 February, Warren recently discussed how in-house counsel and external lawyers can be a powerful, positive forum to support the mining and resources sector – if they’re willing to leave their desks and get their hands dirty as the industry continues to rapidly evolve.
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