We currently have three strategic outposts: Cairo (Egypt) in cooperation with Bahaa-Eldin Law Office, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) in cooperation with Lidet Abebe Tizazu Law Office and Dubai (United Arab Emirates). In addition, thanks to a cooperation agreement with the Tripoli based law firm Zahaf & Partners, we can also provide legal assistance in Libya.

Cairo and Addis Ababa are the first outposts we established in 2016 and are the hub for our development plans in the continent, to which we added Dubai in 2017. The latter represents a platform for us to oversee the whole Gulf area and to further intercept international investments towards Africa.

In Egypt we operate in cooperation with Bahaa-Eldin Law Office which is an integral part of the BonelliErede network.

Looking beyond Egypt, Ethiopia is the country that is of most interest to us. We strongly believe that the opening of its doors to foreign investment, the tremendous growth of European business communities and one of the highest GDP growth rate, make it one of the most important African jurisdictions. Ethiopia represents for us another linchpin for our development in the East Africa.

Indeed, Ethiopia has a key role to play in the integration of African countries and in trade between Europe and Africa (the headquarters of the African Union and the EU Delegation in Africa are both in Addis Ababa).

In Ethiopia we operate in cooperation with Lidet Abebe Tizazu Law Office which is part of the BonelliErede network.

In Ethiopia we are also working with The School of Law of the Addis Ababa University on a joint project to identify possible legislation reforms (in Italy and Ethiopia) that will improve industrial and financial relations and increase foreign investment in the country.

To Dubai, we bring our full-service expertise to assist international investors interested in the Gulf region, multinationals with a regional hub in Dubai for business in Africa, and Gulf investors interested in Europe and Africa.

In Libya we operate in cooperation with Zahaf & Partners Law Firm, a primary law firm. The joint BonelliErede and Zahaf & Partners Law Firm team is able to assist foreign investors operating in the country or those interested in developing their business locally, as well as local corporations, in all the main areas of practice and sectors.

Beyond Egypt, Ethiopia and United Arab Emirates, we have and continue to strengthen – a network of highly reputed African and Middle Eastern law firms, with whom we work seamlessly, to support our customers on their needs across the region. We have strong relationships with tier-1 local law firms in various jurisdictions namely Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia: we are able to assist international enterprises in all these countries by setting up for each matter the best integrated teams of Italian and local lawyers which mingles international expertise and outstanding knowledge of the local law.

Besides advising businesses and investors in Africa & Middle East, we are also carving out a key role in the region’s future legal landscape: for instance, we are advising a number of African governments on legislative reforms in the energy, banking and corporate sectors to further stimulate foreign investments. In line with the best international practices, we have also launched a Focus Team on Public International Law & Economic Diplomacy, which integrates Angelino Alfano’s skills with those of the professionals who have been advising for years on Public International Law, including anti-corruption, international arbitration, legal reforms, tax and regulatory. The goal is to assist not only companies but also countries, authorities and institutions in the Mediterranean area, Africa and in the Middle East to spur investments.