The coming into effect and promulgation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has ushered in a new and exciting era for the continent. AfCFTA aims to enhance intra-African trade by providing a complete and mutually beneficial trade agreement among Member States. It covers goods and services, investment, intellectual property rights and competition policy. On December 5, 2020, the African Union Assembly approved the start of trading under AfCFTA as of January 1, 2021.
Our corporate lawyers work for leading companies across Africa and around the world, from multinational corporations and national leaders to new tech businesses and startups, in all areas of finance, development and investment.
From mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and venture capital to private and public equity and debt offerings, DLA Piper is one of the most active law firms on the continent. In fact, our #1 ranking in the Mergermarket Africa 2018 M&A league table shows that we handle more transactions on the continent than any other law firm. This means that whatever the challenge faced by our clients, chances are we've seen it before and know how to respond.
We understand the political, cultural, regulatory and economic issues involved with doing business in Africa, and tailor our approaches accordingly.
Our people and operations in Africa have been recognized by a raft of legal industry awards. Apart from our current #1 position in the Mergermarket Africa M&A league table, Dealmakers recently recognized us with two honors: the East Africa Private Equity Deal of the Year 2018 award and the South Africa Private Equity Deal of the Year 2018 award.
Our clients benefit from the high-value combination of local knowledge, global insight and efficiencies that flows from our vibrant cross-border practice. DLA Piper can handle all aspects of complex domestic and international corporate matters.
Key capabilities include:
- cross-border public and private M&A:
- inception, planning and due diligence
- deal execution
- post-merger integrations
- joint ventures
- growth by alternatives to M&A
- capital markets - equity and debt
- private equity
- investment funds
- venture capital
- corporate governance
Please contact us to discuss how we can help you to achieve your objectives.
- Recognised by Chambers Global (2018-2020) in Corporate/M&A in Africa-Wide. Market commentators highlight the firm for its responsive service: "The firm is very client-centric and has a good understanding of a range of business issues. It is very productive and responds quickly to client requests."
- #1 in Middle East & African M&A by deal volume (Mergermarket 2018-2019)
- #2 in African M&A by deal volume (Mergermaket 2019)
- #1 in African M&A by deal volume (Mergermarket 2018)
- East Africa Private Equity Deal of the Year (Dealmakers 2018)
- South Africa Private Equity Deal of the Year 2018 (Dealmakers 2018)
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DLA Piper Africa achieves impressive results in the newly released 2020 edition of The Legal 500: Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA)edition
How private equity in Namibia has helped curb the outflow of capital, provided alternative financing options, and provided access to capital for domestic investment opportunities.