African hub countries - Mozambique Legal Circle Advogados

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FIRM BRIEFINGSAFRICAN HUB COUNTRIESters. Soo Fon Ip Min Wan specialises in private equity investment fundsand has also been involved with a number of energy and infrastructureprojects in Africa.MattersThe firm worked with Weil Gotshal & Manges to assist 8 Miles Fundon setting up a $450 million fund to invest into African consumer, energyand utilities businesses and acted for ICICI Bank on a project financingfor a 120MW hydropower station in Itezhi-Tezhi, Zambia.Another lending mandate saw the firm work with Norton Rose andMDY Legal to advise GuarantCo on $50 million of financing to infrastructureproject, mainly in East Africa, and a further $12 million facilityfor the Kalangala Infrastructure Project. The latter comprises aferry service, road upgrade and solar powered water supply systems toextend basic utilities to the largest island on Lake Victoria. The advicecovered guarantor agreements and review of finance and security documents.MOZAMBIQUECGA (Couto Graça & Associados)2012 Firm OverviewCross-border mattersAngolaHighlight clientsVale Moçambique, Sasol New Energy Holdings, Grindrod, InvestecKey partnersPedro Couto, Jorge Graça, Taciana Peão LopesCGA is part of the LexAfrica network and associated with CuatrecasaGonçalves Pereira. It is the biggest law firm in Maputo and boasts someof the highest rated individual lawyers in the country, with Pedro Coutoand Jorge Graça at the fore. “Graça is a top class lawyer and Couto alsoindividually is very good,” says a lawyer from an international client.With work flow in Mozambique at its highest ever, demand for locallegal support on energy and infrastructure projects often overspills capacityand as a leading firm CGA is in constant high demand. The firmhas been active on the largest project in the country and spent a lot of2012 working alongside Shearman & Sterling.MattersThe firm was advising Vale Moçambique as local counsel on the NacalaPort Coal and Malawi-Moatize Railway Concession PPP (public-privatepartnership) project and Vale Emirates on the negotiations, structuring,drafting and concession agreements for the Moatize PowerPlant. The team was also acting a local counsel to Sasol New EnergyHoldings in relation to the Ressano Garcia Power Plant and Grindrodon the extension project for the Maputo Coal Terminal.Other work saw the firm represent Investec regarding the ChokuePower Plant and Mitsui in relation to an LNG project.SAL & Caldeira2012 Firm OverviewHighlight clientsPetroleum Operators Association, Chamber of Mines, Rio Tinto,AnadarkoMost active disciplinesM&A and joint-ventures, project finance (energy, resources andinfrastructure), employment, public and administrative, taxKey sectorsMining and metals, oil and gas, ports and shippingKey partnersJosé Caldeira, Sam LevySAL & Caldeira is possibly the most often recommended firm inMozambique for energy and infrastructure. It has a large team and afull-service offering, covering litigation and transactional work for corporate,finance and other matters. Instrumental in the founding of thePetroleum Operators Association and Chamber of Mines, the firm isarguably head and shoulders above the rest in anything related to miningand metals.Clients regularly recommend US trained Sam Levy as a point of contactand they are invariably positive about their experience with thefirm. “Very impressed,” says one, “they are doing a very good job andwe are going to keep going back to them,” says another. Levy is praisedby one client as an especially hard worker while Eduardo Calú is notedan up and coming name in the market.MattersJosé Caldeira led a team to close a deal for a foreign investor involving,due diligence, joint-venture agreements and sale and purchase of a $3.5million asset. Sam Levy and teams assisted Ncondezi on a $350 millionenergy sector project signed with the government of Mozambique anda foreign investor on an ongoing infrastructure development valued at$1 billion. Levy, Eduardo Calú and team were also retained by the PetroleumOperators Association to advise on regulatory matters.Scan Advogados e Consultores2012 Firm OverviewHighlight clientsTimcal, Mason Graphite, Ceza, EfacecMost active disciplinesLitigation, company and commercial, banking, project finance(infrastructure), EPC, employment, IP, landKey sectorsMining and metals, oil and gas, rail, roadsKey partnersFrancisco Avillez, Oldivanda BacarScan was established by Francisco Avillez, among others, and was originallyan off-shoot of Monteiro Graça & Associados (now subsumedinto CGA). The firm has ‘best friends’ alliances with Bowman Gilfillanand the Portuguese branches of Uría Menéndez and Garrigues, as wellas a good working relationship with some leading global law firms.It has an active practice in energy and infrastructure and especiallyin mining and metals, where the team has recently been acting as counselfor two large graphite producers. Another strong area is the constructionsector where the firm has been working on projects andcompany and commercial advisory.ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE | SUB SAHARAN AFRICA 2013 63
AFRICAN HUB COUNTRIESFIRM BRIEFINGSMattersThe firm provided local law support to ArcelorMittal through foreigncounsels King & Wood Mallesons and Morais Leitão Galvão TelesSoares da Silva & Associados (MLGTS) regarding an acquisition of acoal mining concession. The firm assisted on due diligence and miningcontracts. The office was again supporting MLGTS to advise Videoconin corporate matters related to the Rovuma I gas block.In 2013 the firm was busy working with Bowman Gilfillan to assistRand Merchant Bank and Standard Bank on a finance facility to aSouth African construction company for the acquisition of a stake in aMozambican construction company. The team was also providing company/commercialsupport to Spanish company Premonor.TANZANIAEast African Law Chambers (EALC)2012 Firm OverviewHighlight clientsBNP Paribas, Oryx Oil Company, Energy and Water UtilitiesRegulatory AuthorityMost active disciplinesArbitration, litigationKey sectorsMining and metals, oil and gas, airports, water, sewage and utilitiesKey partnersStella Ndikimi, George Fernandes, Juvenalis NgowiEALC is part of the Bowman Gilfillan Africa Group along with AFMpanga (Uganda), Coulson Harney (Kenya) and others. The firm isled by Stella Ndikimi and works across the board on contentious andnon-contentious matters.The firm’s key areas are alternative dispute resolution, contract negotiationand drafting, and litigation, including high court and nationaltribunal representation. Juvenalis Ngowi was active on the disputesside, while Ndikimi and Georges Fernandes led many of the corporatematters, often in conjunction with international firms.MattersOn the disputes side the firm, led by Juvenalis Ngowi, successfully representedGapco Tanzania in commercial litigation over a breach of contractrelated to petrol retail, Oryx Oil in litigation relating to adistribution agreement and the Energy and Utilities Regulatory Authorityin a dispute against the Tanzania Electric Supplies Company(TANESCO) in which TANESCO was challenging newly imposedelectricity tariffs.In corporate work, the firm worked with Jones Day to advise an oilcompany on a substantial acquisition involving a series of local subsidiariesof the target company while Stella Ndikimi led a team to assistan up-stream company on insolvency proceedings. The firm alsoworked on finance deals, in one case advising BNP Paribas on the Tanzanianlaw aspects of a $225 million financing and in another workingwith King & Wood Mallesons for Ausdrill on a $564 million syndicatedloan.IMMMA Advocates2012 Firm OverviewCross-border mattersMalawiHighlight clientsNational Development Corporation of Tanzania (NDC), RAK GasMost active disciplinesArbitration, litigation, corporate, asset finance, banking, capitalmarkets and structure finance, project finance (energy and naturalresources), competition, employment, IP, land, taxKey sectorsMining and metals, oil and gas, power, airports and aviationKey partnersProtase Ishengoma, Sadock MagaiIMMMA Advocates is a member of the DLA Piper Group and handlesall aspects of energy and infrastructure work, including due diligence,drafting project documents and project negotiations. The firm is alsoespecially strong in power and construction and in early 2013 was involvedin a large coal mine and thermal power project.MattersProtase Ishengoma and Thomas Sipemba were working with DLAPiper to advise the National Development Corporation of Tanzania(NDC) in relation to a coal mine and 600MW thermal mine-mouthgrid integrated power plant development in Mchuchuma. The firmwas assisting on procurement, shareholder and joint-venture matters.Sadock Magai and Burure Ngocho were acting for Gigawatt on aproposed PPP (public-private partnership) with the National ElectricitySupply Company (TANESCO) to finance, develop, operate and maintaina 300MW solar power project. Other work saw Ishengoma adviseRAK gas in Tanzania, Zanzibar and Malawi on acquisitions and concessionsfor offshore/onshore natural gas and petroleum blocks.Norton Rose2012 Firm OverviewHighlight clientsChina Export Import Bank, Tanga Cement Company, IFCInfrastructuresMost active disciplinesCompany and commercial, M&A and joint-ventures, asset finance,banking, project finance (infrastructure), renewables financeKey sectorsMining and metals, power, renewable energy, industry and manufacturingKey partnersAngela Mndolwa, Adam LovettThe Norton Rose Tanzania office is made up of Adam Lovett (UK solicitor)and Angela Mndolwa (Tanzanian advocate). It opened in November2012 and has already provided local support on variousprojects, including advising sponsor clients on a mini-LNG plant projectand a fibre optic network and lender clients such as the China Export-ImportBank. The office’s key competitive advantage is the NortonRose network and being able to offer on-the-ground English law advice.MattersThe office advised IFC Infrastructure on debt and equity participationin a joint development agreement for a 100MW wind farm and TangaCement Company on a joint-venture for the development of Pozzolanacement factory. A finance transaction saw the office, supported by Nigel64ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE | SUB SAHARAN AFRICA 2013
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African hub countries - Mozambique Legal Circle Advogados

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