Bennani & Associés

Managing Partners:

Morocco: Mehdi M. Bennani ([email protected])

Algeria: Mourad Seghir ([email protected])

Côte d’Ivoire: Assemian Kouakou ([email protected])

Democratic Republic of Congo: Arnaud Tshibangu ([email protected])

Tunisia: Lamia Harguem ([email protected])

Cameroon: Jacob Oben ([email protected])

Rwanda: Ian Mulisa ([email protected])

Number of managing partners: 7

Number of lawyers: 50

Languages: Arabic, English, French

Firm Overview:

Founded in 2004, Bennani & Associes is the first and leading independent pan-African firm with offices in nine jurisdictions - Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Rwanda, Congo (Brazzaville) and Guinea. If offers cutting-edge business law expertise to listed and unlisted companies as well as public entities and international law firms with mandates in these jurisdictions. In each market, the firm has a particular expertise in representing foreign investors across a wide range of complex issues, including:

■ General Corporate Law

■ Mergers and Acquisitions

■ Joint Ventures and Partnerships

■ Corporate Restructuring

■ Competition/Antitrust and Other Regulatory Advice

■ Employment Law

■ Financing

■ Commercial Litigation and Arbitration

Industries Served:

The firm has extensive experience in representing a range of major industry sector, including (but not limited to):

■ Aerospace

■ Automotive

■ Chemicals

■ Consumer Electronics

■ Energy

■ Engineering & Construction

■ Financial Services

■ Food

■ Oil & Gas

■ Pharmaceuticals

■ Private Equity

■ Telecommunications

■ Transport

Recent Highlights:

■ Antitrust counsel to Alstom on filing of its €6.2 billion merger with Bombardier (Morocco)

■ Counsel to Sage Global Automotive S.R.L. on its acquisition of a 30% stake and voting rights in ERT Automotive Morocco Sarl-Au (Morocco)

■ Counsel to Bunzl on Moroccan aspects of its acquisition of a 100% equity interest in Proin Pinilla, S.L., and Protec & Marti, S.L. (Morocco)

■ Counsel to global investment management firm Carlyle in a $404 million bankruptcy litigation procedure against the SAMIR refinery (Morocco)

■ Counsel to Representing Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Morocco in commercial arbitration against its former distributor (Morocco)

■ Counsel to Facebook on data privacy and payment instruments for new products (Algeria)

■ Counsel to Hyundai on a new vehicle manufacturing joint venture with Tahkout Manufacturing Company (Algeria)

■ Counsel to Evatherm AG in successful defence against penalty claims relating to a turnkey salt production plant (Algeria)

■ Counsel to Enel Green Power on regulatory review of 5,000MW of photovoltaic and wind farm projects (Algeria)

■ Counsel to Delfingen Industry in the acquisition of a 100% shareholding in Schlemmer group’s Tunisian subsidiary (Tunisia)

■ Counsel to Volkswagen regarding merger clearance of its joint venture with Rimac (Tunisia)

■ Counsel to Salama - Islamic Arab Insurance Company PSC on the sale of its Senegalese subsidiary, Salama Senegal, to Groupe Duval (Côte d’Ivoire)

■ Counsel to Paystack Nigeria on regulatory authorisation of the company's activities (Côte d’Ivoire)