Foreword

Africa Focus

Welcome to this
month’s Law Update

Welcome to the Africa edition of Law Update. This edition is special insofar as it comes after the opening of our office in Casablanca (Morocco) and the strengthening of our African presence.

The ability of the African continent to mobilize the funds necessary for its development is reduced despite its immense assets, hence the necessary development of partnerships, which remains dependent for its development on legal and judicial security,and this is where business law will play its full role to support the development of investments.

Aware of the importance of the issue, the reformist dynamic has been initiated individually or collectively by African states to strengthen the attractiveness of the continent, giving rise in most cases to pro-investment legislation.

Morocco is a gateway for investment into Africa and Casablanca is a strategic base for international businesses looking to operate in the continent. Our ambition is to service North Africa and the rest of the continent with a focus on French speaking countries, as we continue to grow our presence, network, and expertise.
With our proven capabilities, our goal is to play a stronger in role in multi-jurisdictional matters, providing a consistent high quality and a one-stop shop for our clients which are present in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, insurance, construction, energy, mining, healthcare, etc.

Most of these sectors have been the subject of an article in our edition demonstrating the particular attention we pay to Africa and its development and our commitment to be part of this process, starting with a Macroscopic View of the African Healthcare System, which promises to be a safari of opportunities for investors and later addressing The Evolution of E-commerce and the Race to Regulate in Africa.

Such legal developments require lawyers and legal advisory firms to be proactive, as noted in a Closer Look into Africa and Egypt Legal Pression Proactive Role and an Overview on the Provision of "Buy Now Pay Later Services in Egypt what makes Africa rich is not only its mineral/natural resources but also its human resources and questions on Labour Law are frequent. In many cases, keeping some workers on the payroll beyond the retirement age becomes an issue that is presented in terms of a comparative review of Algerian, Libyan, Moroccan, Mauritanian and Tunisian legal requirements on the subject in Working Past in the Retirement Age in Maghreb Region.

Our journey into Africa wouldn’t be complete without a stopover in Sudan to take an interest in Investing in the Mining Sector.

We also felt compelled to address recent developments in the international transportation industry in Can Ships be Built as Big as it Gets?, which provides an insightful look into the issue from an African viewpoint.

Food security being one of the burning issues where Africa will certainly play a pivotal role in the future, we have chosen to address the issue from the angle of The Evolution of Intellectual Property in Agricultural Innovation.

The AfCFTA being one of the flagship projects of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, this edition would not be complete without a Q&A section on AfCFTA Recent Developments, as well as an analysis of Resolution of Cross-Border Trade, Investment and Commercial Disputes in AfCFTA.

I hope I have whetted your appetite about this edition, but also for considering the growing opportunities to invest in Africa and, with us, become an actor of change.

Good reading!