Africa group

Browne Jacobson's Africa group supports clients on both sides of the UK-Africa corridor. Whether you are an African business seeking legal advice in the UK, or a UK business looking to invest and expand across Africa, we have the contacts, the commercial understanding and the legal expertise to help.

With dedicated coverage in South Africa, we are able to provide on-the-ground support and direct insight into the South African market and the broader African business environment, and we maintain a strong network of trusted law firms across the continent. Our clients benefit from English law expertise combined with genuine local market knowledge.

Mergers and acquisitions

Doing business in the UK

African legal entities and private clients looking to invest, expand or do business in the UK or Ireland often face significant challenges due to unfamiliarity with the legal systems and the complexities of cross-border transactions.

Our Africa group advises African organisations on the full range of matters involving UK and Irish law, whether in connection with investment or expansion in the UK or Ireland, entering into English or Irish law governed arrangements, or dispute resolution processes.

Doing business in Africa

Africa offers significant and growing opportunities for UK businesses, but navigating its diverse legal and regulatory landscape requires specialist knowledge and trusted local relationships.

We have a strong track record advising UK and European companies on their investments across Africa, including in the mining, logistics and infrastructure sectors, and in major international disputes seated in the UK and overseas.

We can connect you with advisers we know and trust wherever your opportunity takes you, and where required we can project-manage transactions from the UK, giving you a single point of contact whilst ensuring local legal requirements are addressed and deadlines are met.

Our legal services

We have extensive experience representing clients in complex, high-value disputes, both in international arbitration proceedings and before the English courts. Our team has acted for African states, multinational investors and private parties in investment treaty claims, commercial arbitrations and related court applications.

We have particular strength in matters involving the mining, natural resources and infrastructure sectors across the continent, where disputes often raise intricate questions of public international law, sovereign immunity and multi-jurisdictional enforcement.

Our team combines English law corporate expertise with genuine knowledge of the commercial and regulatory environments across major African markets, supported by our network of trusted local advisers.

Whether you are structuring a cross-border acquisition, negotiating a joint venture arrangement or navigating the regulatory requirements for foreign investment, we can guide you through every stage of the transaction.

We advise clients across transactions and regulatory matters across the full project lifecycle.

We have particular experience in the mining and natural resources sectors, as well as renewable energy, power generation and transport infrastructure.

We advise on the full range of healthcare and life sciences matters, from commercial transactions and affiliate arrangements to regulatory compliance and investment.

We work with healthcare providers, NHS trusts, pharmaceutical and life sciences companies and private investors navigating the opportunities and complexities of the African healthcare market.

We advise clients on technology transactions, media and content licensing, fintech arrangements and cross-border platform agreements.

We can assist with structuring and negotiating technology contracts, data protection and privacy compliance under English law, and the commercial framework for digital business models across the UK-Africa corridor.

We provide comprehensive IP advice across the Africa-UK corridor, drawing on our specialist IP team and our network of trusted South African IP firms. Our services span IP strategy, clearance, protection, licensing, transactions and litigation.

Dispute resolution and arbitration

Corporate and M&A

Energy, mining and infrastructure

We advise clients across transactions and regulatory matters across the full project lifecycle.

We have particular experience in the mining and natural resources sectors, as well as renewable energy, power generation and transport infrastructure.

Healthcare and life sciences

We advise on the full range of healthcare and life sciences matters, from commercial transactions and affiliate arrangements to regulatory compliance and investment.

We work with healthcare providers, NHS trusts, pharmaceutical and life sciences companies and private investors navigating the opportunities and complexities of the African healthcare market.

Technology and media

We advise clients on technology transactions, media and content licensing, fintech arrangements and cross-border platform agreements.

Intellectual property

Investment treaty recourse and local tax law

Assisted a leading London-listed mining company in the divestiture of its assets in Mozambique, advising on potential investment treaty recourse and local tax law in connection with its relationship with a major mining group.

Investment into the UK healthcare sector

Advised a leading South African private equity house on its investment into the UK healthcare sector.

International arbitration

Represented a French logistics major in an ICC arbitration against a Canadian mining company, involving a Mauritanian state-owned entity.

Investment treaty claim

Represented a series of London-based funds in a significant investment treaty claim arising out of the collapse of a major retail group in South Africa.