Since our last edition, the world has changed dramatically. The global coronavirus pandemic is having an impact on businesses in every industry sector. We start this edition with a foreword from our Head of Africa Practice, Andrew Skipper, who shares how we focused on staying present in these challenging times.
We also include three other articles relating to issues around COVID-19.
Firstly, Wessel Badenhorst, the Managing Partner of our Johannesburg office, discusses the opportunity presented by the pandemic, to push us to look at beneficiation as a key to unlocking wealth. Then, in an article which originally featured in our Germany Africa newsletter, our Frankfurt colleagues look at the implications of COVID-19 on Business Continuity Management. The third article looks at the impact of a delay in the negotiations for implementation of the AfCFTA.
Nigeria is the focus for our next two features. Two Nigerian lawyers based in our London team examine the implications of the Nigerian Finance Act 2019, and then an article written by two lawyers from ACAS-Law in Nigeria discuss the potential of the Nigerian mining sector.
We then have a further article from another of our relationship firms, Bourabiat Associes in Algeria, which asks the question whether Algeria is now back in business following the changes brought in by the new Finance Act passed in June 2020.
Our pro bono activity has continued throughout this COVID-19 period, and we share with you some of the great initiatives we have been involved in.
Last, but by no means least, it is our enormous pleasure each year to welcome African lawyers on secondment to our London office, and we conclude our newsletter with our View from a Secondee feature, where we interview two of our recent secondees about their experience with us.
Before you go, don’t forget to read about our recent and upcoming events and see some of our recent work on the continent.
We hope you enjoy this edition of the newsletter. As always, please get in touch if you have any questions or comments.
Authored by Andrew Skipper and Alison Diarra.
