Legal Issues for Investing in Africa

Feb. 5, 2013 - PRLog -- India and China tends to take the spot-light for their economic prowess, overlooking other parts of the world. African countries have become more attractive for foreign investors in reaction to the growth in economies and population, in turn it is fuelling a demand for infrastructure and developmental projects, greater attention to agriculture and increased engagement with across a variety of industry sectors. The changing and varied needs of the different African jurisdictions require careful legal considerations to suit the unique needs of the relevant institutions and markets. This can cause a lot of misunderstandings and misconceptions on both sides.

Against this backdrop, under the guidance of Elizabeth Uwaifo, SMi Group’s masterclass will identify and explain some key issues that the internationalinvestor should be aware of when investing in Africa.

The sessions address three critical factors that will be relevant across many sectors of investment:
• Overview of the investment climate and how to secure investor rights in African countries
• Rules governing trade for exporting from Africa or trading within the African region
• Considerations for investing responsibly towards the poorest people in Africa

About your Masterclass host:
Elizabeth Uwaifo, Partner, Global Finance Group, Sidley Austin, with extensive experience in advising on structuring investments to match the needs of international investors and investees. She is a partner in the Global Finance group in London.
The Masterclass team will also include Arnoud Willems is a partner in Sidley’s International Trade and Arbitration Group in Brussels, and a leading international trade practitioner.
Jung-ui Sul is an Associate in Sidley’s International Trade and Arbitration Group in Brussels and the director of Sidley’s Africa-Asia Agribusiness Pro Bono Program.

About Sidley Austin
Sidley Austin LLP is one of the world’s premier law firms. With approximately 1700 lawyers, we provide a broad range of services to meet the needs of businesses, financial institutions and governments across a multitude of industries and in a variety of locations around the world. The firm’s experience covers work done in respect of a variety of African countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Togo, Congo and the Republic of Guinea.

To view the conference programme and full speaker line-up, visit www.smi-online.co.uk/africa-investment10.asp (http://www.smi-online.co.uk/africa-investment9.asp)

Alternatively contact Jonathan Collins on +44 (0) 20 7827 6734 or jcollins@smi-online.co.uk