A mining title in Zimbabwe used to be a thing one owned. Like a house, like a parcel of land, like a debt instrument. One paid the fees, held the certificate, and the document was good against the world. What you did with it was a commercial question, not a legal one. The asset existed independently of the activity on the ground.
Our energy and natural resources lawyers deliver to our clients the focused, innovative sector advice they need, in Zimbabwe and beyond.
We are entering an era of unprecedented demand for power generation and transmission, especially in Africa. This dynamic, together with the challenges we all face from climate change, is creating new opportunities for alternative energies and new technologies.
Our energy clients receive coordinated, across-the-board coverage for their needs, including construction and projects, corporate, competition, regulatory, contractual, trading, litigation/arbitration, dispute resolution and tax issues. We understand the technical, geographical, commercial and geopolitical factors that shape the industry and have first-hand access to contacts, sponsors and decision makers.
Experience has included advising:
- A client in respect of their acquisition of a controlling interest in a Zimbabwean hydrocarbons company which holds a Special Grant for the exploration of hydrocarbons, in respect of the development of resource deposits, and the evaluation of the geophysical and geotechnical composition of the mineral resources owned by the target.
- A DFI on a phased development of a 15 MW solar PV Project in Zimbabwe. Our mandate included conducting of a due diligence investigation on the local project company, bankability review of PPA, EPC and O&M contracts, advising on local regulatory landscape as well as assisting with general on-going legal transaction support.
- EMC Continental Zimbabwe (Private) Limited on the acquisition of a participating interest in a solar PV power generation project in the Middle Sabi region of Zimbabwe.
- Highlight deal adviser (IFLR1000 Energy and Infrastructure 2017)
- Rainor Robinson, Highly regarded (IFLR100 Energy and Infrastructure 2017, 2018, 2019)
Zimbabwe faces a dual crisis of severe energy shortages and a chronic housing deficit, both of which present significant opportunities for debt fund and private equity investment (“Private Credit”). Renewable energy and real estate are gaining prominence as core and core plus investments respectively. Private Credit can offer flexible and innovative funding to realise high returns. The energy crisis is stark, with frequent power outages at times lasting up to 18 hours a day due to an aging infrastructure. According to the World Bank, only 40% of Zimbabweans have access to electricity, with rural electrification rates as low as 19%. Some listed companies have reported a 20-40% increase in generator fuel usage in 2024 alone, owing to extended loadshedding.
Introduction When US President Joe Biden, announced the ending of the Zimbabwe sanctions program, a wave of euphoria quickly spread across the country. The lifting of sanctions provided renewable energy investors with access to the previously closed international capital markets. Many projects were struggling to reach financial close as funders were unwilling to risk inadvertently violating US sanctions by financing Zimbabwean projects. While sanctions opened up international markets, Basel III Endgame could spoil the party for the over 100 Independent Power Producers (“IPP”), who are licensed to generate electricity in the country but are failing to obtain financing.
Across the African continent, a transformative wave of policy changes is reshaping the mining sector. Nations such as Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Namibia are implementing bans on the export of unprocessed minerals, advocating for local processing prior to export. This strategic shift towards value addition, motivated by the aspiration to secure a larger portion of profits from their abundant resources, prompts an essential inquiry: Is Africa prepared for this transition?