African hub countries - Mozambique Legal Circle Advogados

AFRICAN HUB COUNTRIESFIRM BRIEFINGSKusaasira & Co2012 Firm OverviewCross-border mattersDRC, TanzaniaHighlight clientsTotal E&P Uganda, Heritage Oil & Gas, Gulf Resources Uganda,East Africa GoldMost active disciplinesLitigation, arbitration, company and commercial, M&A and jointventures,asset finance, capital markets, project finance (energy andresources), environmental, land, taxKey sectorsMining and metals, oil and gas,Key partnersDenis Kusaasira, Hakim MuwongeKusaasira & Co is a relatively new firm in Uganda with a specialistfocus on oil and gas and mining law. The team covers commercial, corporate,employment, environmental, IP and litigation aspects and hasin the past work on matters alongside global firms such as Norton Rose,McCarthy Tetrault and Lewis Silkin. The firm is full service and alsoprovides tax, accounting and business services.MattersThe firm acts as principal external counsel to Total E&P Uganda forits regulatory, contracting, employment and immigration matters andwas recently acted for Heritage Oil & Gas on contentious tax mattersarising from the farm-in/farm-out between Tullow Oil and Heritage.The firm was appearing as an expert witness on the tax matters in theLondon Commercial Court.The firm is also principal external counsel to Gulf Resources Ugandaand East Africa Gold, where Denis Kusaasira and team assist on land,company secretarial, employment, environmental, regulatory, licenses,acquisitions, asset finance and stock exchange issues, among others.Masembe Makubuya Adriko KarugabaSSekatwa Advocates (MMAKS)2012 Firm OverviewMost active disciplinesADR, arbitration, litigation, company and commercial, privateequity and funds, banking, capital markets, employment,environmental, IP, land, taxKey sectorsMining and metals, oil and gas, water, sewage and utilitiesKey partnersPhillip Karugaba, Apollo Makubuya, Timothy MasembeMattersOn the disputes side, Apollo Makubuya and Timothy Masembe wererepresenting a holder of an exploration license in arbitration to settle adispute over the rights to the Kilembe Mines and a gold mining explorationlicense holder in litigation over surface rights for a gold miningproject. Makubuya was also acting for a confidential client in internationalarbitration with 24 Essex Court Chambers (UK) in a shareholderdispute related to uranium mining in Kazakhstan.Sebalu & Lule Advocates2012 Firm OverviewHighlight clientsTullow Operations, Hima Cement Uganda, Electromaxx,Government of UgandaMost active disciplinesLitigation, corporate, asset finance, banking, capital markets,PPP/PFI, project finance (energy and infrastructure), employment,environmental, IP, landKey sectorsMining and metals, oil and gas, power, industry and manufacturing,rail, water, sewage and utilitiesKey partnersNicholas Ecimu, Barnabas TumusingizeSebalu & Lule is one of the usual suspects for high level corporate financework in Uganda and it has recently been advising lenders providingextra financing to the Bujagali II dam and working on Uganda’sonly copper mine. The firm is often recommended for both transactionaland contentious instructions and is also part of the DLA PiperGroup.Nicholas Ecimu leads the energy and infrastructure practice and ishighly recommended, while energy and infrastructure clients also reservepraise for Barnabas Tumusingize, with one client endorsing Tumusingizeand team especially for oil and gas matters. Indeed, the firmhas lately been training associates in oil and gas law and has been veryactive in energy-sector litigation, recently representing clients in theHigh Court of Uganda.MattersNicholas Ecimu was leading a team acting as transaction advisor withDLA Piper to the Privatisation & Utility Sector Reform Project (Ugandangovernment) on the concession project for the Kilembe Mines,Uganda’s only copper mine. The PPP (public-private partnership) concessionis an attempt to revive the operation. The team was also advisingon a substantial railway PPP project, advising a regional concessionairewith financing from Asia.Lender mandates saw the firm working with Linklaters to assistDutch and German banks FMO and DEG on an additional $25 millionof financing to the Bujagali II dam developer and advising independentpower producer Electromaxx on financing to expand itsthermal plant capacity from 20MW to 50MW. The $35 million isbeing wholly locally funded, marking the first infrastructure project inthe country. Barnabas Tumusingize featured on the latter.MMAKS is one of Uganda’s biggest corporate commercial law firmsand is a member of the ALN network. Philip Karugaba leads a largetransactions team while in 2012 the firm was undertaking specialisttraining in oil and gas, with two associates currently on secondment inLondon. The contentious practice at the firm is also busy, especially inarbitration in mining sector cases, and the team has a good reputationamong international law firms.66ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE | SUB SAHARAN AFRICA 2013