Oil and Gas

Oil and gas projects in Africa require English Law capability, knowledge of petroleum regimes and industry expertise; three key skills which very few other firms have managed to combine in a single team.

We are the first ever law firm to combine those three key skills in a virtual legal hub in Africa. Our team includes lawyers with deep oil and gas industry expertise; English law qualified solicitors and barristers; as well as African lawyers conversant with petroleum contracts and regimes far beyond the jurisdictions where they are actually based.

Our oil and gas experts, situated in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and the United Kingdom, work seamlessly together to service our clients across the African continent. We also have close relationships with law firms in other key African hydrocarbon jurisdictions, such as Mozambique and Nigeria.

Our offering is differentiated by its comprehensiveness as well as its competitiveness in the current market. It covers:

• Legal and tax regimes and regulatory advice
• Host government contracts and awards
• M&A
• Various other legal, contractual and regulatory matters

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Chambers and Partners, 2022

‘adept in upstream and midstream oil and gas’

‘highly regarded and notably involved in significant … oil and gas projects’

Legal 500, 2021

‘has a fine record in oil and gas projects, including advising … on the development of Kenya’s first midstream oil pipeline from Lokichar to Lamu’

Client feedback includes:

Strong individual partners. Good background in subject areas.’

‘A very strong and solid team that has end-to-end skill-sets on the array of documentation required to develop, finance, construct and operate projects. The exposure given to associates is excellent and the quality of work is fantastic.’

‘Deep insight of the sector and quality of the partners, accessible and friendly people.’

• We advised Absa Bank (as lender) on its first ever cross-border import issuance letter of credit facility to the value of USD 35 million. The letter of credit was issued to the Lake Oil Group and allowed it to export oil from Tanzania. Other jurisdictions involved were Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and the United Kingdom.

• Our lawyers advised CEPSA in relation to the acquisition of a 55% participating interest in a production sharing agreement pertaining to Block 11A.

• Our lawyers advised Ophir Energy in the context of the negotiation of the production sharing agreements for blocks 1, 2 and 4 offshore Tanzania.

• Our lawyers advised Total in the context of the acquisition of a 50% participating interest in Block 11B/12B.

• Our lawyers advised Regalis Petroleum in relation to the structuring, negotiation, and implementation of an acquisition of a shareholding interest in a company holding a participating interest in a production sharing agreement in Chad, including a synthetic joint operating agreement.

• Our lawyers advised Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation in relation to the structuring, negotiation, and implementation of an acquisition of a shareholding interest in a company holding a participating interest in a production sharing agreement in Chad, including a synthetic joint operating agreement.

• Our lawyers advised the Republic of Chad in relation to the acquisition of a participating interest in the USD 1.5 billion Doba hydrocarbons production, transportation and exportation assets in Chad and in Cameroon.

• Our lawyers advised the Democratic Republic of Congo regarding addressing the main principles, best practices and latest trends applicable to hydrocarbons exploration and exploitation activities in connection with the review of its petroleum law.

   

• Our lawyers advised Signet Petroleum in Nigeria in relation to the tender for the acquisition of a 45% participating interest in OML 25 from Shell, Total and ENI.