IFLR is delighted to announce the winning deals, teams, law firms and individuals for the second edition of its IFLR Africa Awards.
This announcement follows months of research by the team and careful deliberation by the editors and IFLR journalists that make up the internal judging panel.
The core objective of the awards is to recognise legal innovation in cross-border transactions. To be considered, all deals must have reached financial close between June 1 2020 and May 31 2021, as well as meet pre-defined criteria to be considered cross-border and jurisdictionally African.
The most significant theme running through the IFLR Africa Awards research this year was that of resilience. Legal innovation and cross-border deal making is invariably complex, but the global pandemic and associated knock-on effects fully tested the abilities and perseverance of all stakeholders. In the face of this adversity, law firms and practitioners getting deals done on the continent rose to the challenges admirably.
There was a raft of pioneering work analysed by our research team that reached across all areas of Africa, and the list of winners below reflects the innovative, cross-border legal advice that allowed the most transformative business transactions to reach completion.
The winners' award presentation, in which we reveal the winners and talk about some of the highlights from the research, can be viewed below.
To find out more about business development and marketing related to the awards, please contact: Liam Sharkey: lsharkey@iflr.com
On behalf of the research team, thank you to everyone who took the time to contribute through submissions and interviews, and congratulations to all the winners.
Regional awards
International law firm of the year
Clifford Chance
In-house team of the year
African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank)
Legal network of the year
ALN
DEALS OF THE YEAR
Capital markets
Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement sustainability bond
Dechert
White & Case
Domestic
Nigerian Stock Exchange demutualization
Aluko & Oyebode
Loans
Trade and Development Bank pandemic relief loan
Clifford Chance
White & Case
M&A
Stripe / Paystack Payments
Aluko & Oyebode
Fenwick & West
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe
The New Practice
Private equity
Capitalworks / Peregrine
Bedell Cristin Partnership
BLC Robert & Associates
Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr
Clifford Chance
Conyers Dill & Pearman
Webber Wentzel
Werksmans
Project finance
Beitbridge border post modernisation project
Allen & Overy
BLC Robert & Associates
Bowmans
DLA Piper Africa, Mauritius (Juristconsult Chambers)
DLA Piper Africa, Zimbabwe (Manokore Attorneys)
Eversheds Sutherland
Gill Goldlonton & Gerrans
Harneys
Herbert Smith Freehills
Werksmans
Restructuring
TAV Airports restructuring
Cabinet Donia Hedda-Ellouze Ellouze & Belajouza-Felli
Ciftci Law Firm
Clifford Chance
Meziou Knani & Khlif
NautaDutilh
Shearman & Sterling
Sibel Ertekin Law Office
Editor’s choice impact award
African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) Covid-19 vaccines
Appleby (Mauritius)
Slaughter and May
Teams of the Year
Capital markets
White & Case
Loans
White & Case
M&A
Clifford Chance
Private equity
Clifford Chance
Project finance
Herbert Smith Freehills
Restructuring
Clifford Chance
National firm awards
Angola
ASP Advogados
Botswana
Bookbinder Business Law
Ethiopia
Aman Assefa & Associates Law Office
Ghana
JLD & MB Legal Consultancy
Kenya
Anjarwalla & Khanna
Mauritius
BLC Robert & Associates
Mozambique
CGA - Couto Graça & Associados
Morocco
Clifford Chance Morocco
Namibia
ENSafrica
Nigeria
Aluko & Oyebode
OHADA
Asafo & Co
Rwanda
ENSafrica
South Africa
Bowmans
Tanzania
ALN Tanzania|A&K Tanzania
Tunisia
Donia Hedda-Ellouze, Ellouze & Belajouza-Felli
Uganda
ALN Uganda MMAKS
Zambia
Bowmans
Zimbabwe
DLA Piper Africa, Zimbabwe (Manokore Attorneys)
Capital markets firm of the year: Nigeria
Aluko & Oyebode
Capital markets firm of the year: South Africa
ENSafrica
Loans firm of the year: Nigeria
Aluko & Oyebode
Loans firm of the year: South Africa
Allen & Overy
M&A firm of the year: Nigeria
Aluko & Oyebode
M&A firm of the year: South Africa
Webber Wentzel
Project finance firm of the year: Nigeria
Templars
Project finance firm of the year: South Africa
Bowmans
Individual Awards
Rising stars of the year award
Okechukwu Okoro - G Elias & Co
Tiwalola Osazuwa - Aelex
In-House Market Maker
Magase Mogale - Africell
IFLR Women Dealmakers Hall of Fame
Brigette Baillie - Herbert Smith Freehills
Lifetime achievement award
Iqbal Rajahbalee - BLC Robert & Associates
