2022 Webinar: Doing Business in Africa and the Middle East

The Africa & Middle East Regional Group hosted a complimentary webinar on March 29 at 10:00 a.m. Central Time titled, “Doing Business in Africa and Middle East” CLE credit is available for this webinar.

Click here to view the webinar recording. 

Webinar Materials:

• PPT – Doing Business in Africa & The Middle East
• Doing Business in Africa and the Middle East Agenda

About the Webinar

Africa and Middle East regions are perceived as difficult places to operate and do business. The on the ground reality, country to country, is very different. Our highly experienced multi-jurisdictional panel will introduce and explore effective and efficient ways and means of doing business in the region The legal objectives always being to ensure success for global operations and supply chains. Join us for a session that will tackle the region head-on, including general legal and regulatory landscapes, international trade agreements and assistance to/ barriers to market entry.

Moderator:

PAULA BOAST is Head of Construction Engineering & Projects with ALFA International member firm Charles Russell Speechlys in Bahrain. She has lived and worked in the Middle East region since 2006 and specializes in construction projects, with a focus on Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. Her extensive experience includes real estate and development, regeneration, infrastructure and utilities, renewable energy, power and water, oil and gas, hotels, leisure and tourism, industrial and commercial, education and healthcare. She operates in both the private and public sectors acting on behalf of government and regulatory clients, including the Ministry of Works and Ministry of Finance, as well as project employers and developers, lenders and investors, contractors, subcontractors, consultants and specialized procurement and supply chain. Paula is a 360-degree projects lawyer who carries out both contentious and non-contentious work. She is an International FIDIC Contracts specialist. She assisted the Bahrain Ministry of Works in the drafting and publication to market of its first-ever Standard Suite of Construction Contracts (2009 Edition) based on FIDIC forms. Her work includes front-end project suite preparation and procurement for PPP and PFI projects, EPC, design and build as well as contract claims administration, advisory and dispute resolution. She is renowned for her work in the ADR arena, including being an accredited Mediator with the Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution. She is extremely experienced in the Middle East local and multi-jurisdictional litigation and arbitrations, including UNCITRAL, ICC, DIFC, QFC, BCDR and LCIA.

Panelists:

SALIM ALI is a Partner at ALFA International member firm Al-Hamad Legal Group in Kuwait. He has more than 20 years of experience in commercial and corporate law in over 25 countries worldwide. Salim has extensive experience with mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, government contracts and international transactions from all phases, including due diligence, deal structuring, management of the investments and final liquidation and exit. His expertise extends to many aspects of foreign joint ventures, including their creation, management, and disposition. He has also been involved in the creation or acquisition of subsidiaries or joint ventures in most of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. He also provides clients with extensive international tax experience, including structuring investment funds and entities with an investment focus on and portfolio investments in the United States, Europe, Middle East and North Africa and the GCC states.

BOMA AYOMIDE ALABI is a Founding Partner of ALFA International member firm Primera Africa Legal. Her experience in corporate commercial practice spans approximately 30 years. In addition to being an experienced Arbitrator and accredited Civil and Commercial Mediator, Boma specializes in International Tax Law, Maritime Law, Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Market Transactions. She has advised on some of Nigeria’s leading commercial deals in several sectors, including real estate and infrastructure, manufacturing, banking, hospitality, telecommunications, maritime, energy, project funding and development.

ALEKSANDRA BURR DIXON is a Director at ALFA International member firm Knowles Husain Lindsay Inc. in Johannesburg, South Africa. Aleksandra specializes in corporate and commercial law. She regularly advises clients on both the practicalities and intricacies of company law and on clients’ corporate structures and constitutional documents. She also assists clients with their commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, financing and security transactions and a wide spectrum of commercial arrangements.

YUVRAJ JUWAHEER is the Managing Partner of ALFA International member firm YKJ Legal in the Republic of Mauritius. He was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple in London and is a member of the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners, an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and a Member of the International Fiscal Association. Yuvraj has more than 20 years of experience in the global business sector in Mauritius. He has extensive experience in investment funds, corporate and commercial law, regulatory matters and banking and finance.

HASAN IRFAN KHAN is a Senior Advocate with ALFA International member firm Irfan & Irfan in Pakistan. His practice began focusing on Intellectual Property laws, including commercial IP such as Licensing, Franchising and Transfer of Technology agreements and disputes. He is a recognized leader in these areas of law. Over some time, he has created a niche as a senior litigator across various areas of law. Hasan has handled litigation and dispute resolution in sectors such as Life Sciences, Corporate Commercial, Competition, Intellectual Property, Employment, Constitutional law, etc.

ESINE OKUDZETO is a Partner with ALFA International member firm Sam Okudzeto & Associates in Ghana. Esine focuses on Mergers and Acquisitions, Capital Markets, Oil and Gas Law, Corporate Law, Commercial Law, Labor Law, Intellectual Property and Arbitration. Esine has performed due diligence for several international clients advising these clients on mergers and acquisitions in Ghana. She is a Board Member of Sena Chartered Secretaries, the firm’s sister company specializing in company secretarial and investment consultancy. Esine serves as a Corporate Secretary for various clients, where she attends board meetings and advises companies on their corporate responsibilities and powers. She also helps corporations with filing relevant documents in compliance with the Company’s Act of Ghana.

ANJULI SIVARMAKRISHAN is a Senior Corporate Partner with ALFA International member firm Kochhar & Co. in Dubai. Her practice areas include banking, finance, private equity, mergers, acquisitions, foreign investments and securities laws, including structured finance, cross-border financing, project finance, asset-backed securitization, regulatory approvals and corporate restructuring. Anjuli has vast experience and expertise in negotiating and preparing project finance documents, structured banking transactions, external commercial borrowings, derivatives, trade credits, syndicated loans, corporate and retail banking documentation. She has advised banks, non-banking finance companies and housing finance companies on regulatory and compliance issues and all aspects of structuring and documentation of funded and non-funded facilities, creation and enforcement of security interest. She advises clients on issues relating to banking law, foreign direct investment policy, foreign exchange laws and securities law.