GENI & KEBE

Managing Partner: Mouhamed Kebe
Partners and Team Leaders: Mohamed Abdallah Dieng, Mame Ngone Sow, Boubacar Diakité, Fodé Sarr, Franky Lukuanda, Mbaye Seck, Yankhoba Ndiaye
Attorneys and Counsel: Aissatou Ndong, Annick Kobenan, Cecilia Gnango, Fatoumata Watt, Mahamat Atteib, Mouhamadou Bassirou Balde, Ousmane Aliou Ly, Ruth Accouna, Soraya Imani, Thierry Dadji, Ousseynou Damiens Aw, Mamadou Bakhoum, Emmanuel Djiba, Yaye Fatou Beye, Saliou Fall, Ndeye Coumba Dia, Aida Ndiaye
Of Counsel: Dr Sylvain Sankale, Timothy Cherry, Basile Mayoue
Operations Manager: Aly Kebe Dieng
Business Development Manager: Aly Kebe Dieng
Finance Director: Bakary Traore
Languages: English, French, Arabic

Firm Overview:
GENI & KEBE, a member of DLA Piper Africa, is a full-service commercial law firm providing legal services in sub-Saharan Africa, mainly in the francophone jurisdictions. Founded in 1912 to provide legal advice to foreign embassies and companies wishing to undertake business in Sub Saharan Africa, GENI & KEBE is one of the oldest law firms in the region. Over 100 years old we remain one of the top choices for local and foreign companies, governments and non-government institutions wishing to conduct business in Africa with a Pan-African identity and approach to our work.

Experience tells us that our model – dedicated practitioners with a regional focus who value working collaboratively with clients, affiliates, and international partners – leads to quality legal advice and practical legal solutions for investors. That’s why Chambers Global says we are “a premier firm, thanks to its international approach and high standard of work.”

Our ability to serve clients with excellence is a result of the passion and dedication of our team. We are an international team with lawyers and Counsels with qualifications from leading universities in Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Australia. Our international qualifications underscore our strong foreign perspective, and as a proud home-grown firm, we also know the local business and government environments intimately

We currently have three (3) offices in Senegal (Dakar, Mbour, and Tambacounda) and one in Côte d’Ivoire (Abidjan). We further possess a strong presence in the continent as we work with affiliate offices in thirteen (13) other countries namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Togo to provide advice across the region. In addition, we are a member firm of DLA Piper Africa, connecting us with leading independent lawyers across the rest of Africa and the rest of the world, in partnership with international law firm DLA Piper.

Chambers Global interviewees attest that GENI & KEBE provides “high-quality advice and an ability to handle pan-African corporate transactions” and acknowledge GENI & KEBE as “one of Senegal’s premier firms thanks to its international approach and high standard of work.”

Welcome to GENI & KEBE as we look forward to working with you with efficiency and efficacity.

Main Areas of Practice:
-Banking & Finance/Islamic Finance
-Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions
-Dispute Resolution (including Alternative Dispute Resolution)
-Employment & Labour
-Natural Resources (Energy, Oil & Gas, Mining)
-Public-Private Partnerships
-Real Estate & Construction
-Telecommunications, Media & Technology
-Tax

Banking & Finance/Islamic Finance:
With significant commercial experience of the WAEMU and CEMAC banking legislation, GENI & KEBE advises on finance transactions across the 17 OHADA states, including cross-border investments.

■ CHINA EXIMBANK - Government concessional loan agreement with the Republic of Chad for RMB 1,316,000,000
■ COMMERZBANK AG ABN AMRO - Government concessional Loan Agreement with the Republic of Burkina Faso for Euros 108,000,000
■ SANTANDER BANK - Bridge Financing A330 _ 900 Aircraft for Air Senegal USD 92,024,194
■ Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector – Extension of global lines of credit (Islamic finance) to banks and leasing companies operating in Chad, Cameroon and Gabon
■ Standard Chartered Bank – USD 400 million project loan transaction with Senegalese telecommunications company Sentel

Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions:
GENI & KEBE advises on M&A transactions, incorporation of branches or subsidiaries, and acquisition of domestic companies and assets by foreign-owned companies.

■ Tata Group – Acquisition of majority equity of Senegalese company UNITECH
■ Engen Petroleum - the sale of a subsidiary in Bissau Guinea
■ SARACEN - the acquisition of a mining company in Ivory Coast
■ Zijing Mining Group Co, Ltd - with regards to the acquisition of IAMGOLD’s subsidiary in Senegal Dispute Resolution & Alternative

Dispute Resolution:
GENI & KEBE advocates have experience in all courts in Senegal and in the OHADA region. They also represent clients in alternative forms of dispute resolution (such as mediation and arbitration), including before the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

■ Dangote – Successful appeal before the Senegalese Supreme Court on investment matters.
■ Plan International – successful defence of a labour claim before the Court of Appeal of Kankan, Guinea
■ SANOFI - Successful defence before the District Commercial Court of Abidjan in Ivory Coast
■ ICSID - Successful defence on an Investor-State arbitration before the ICSID in Senegal

Employment & Labour:
GENI & KEBE advises employers and employees on contracts, wages, dismissals, cross-border employment, social security, redundancies, corporate restructuring, human resources issues, in relation to mergers, income tax, and negotiations with trade unions and staff representatives.

■ Emirates Airlines – Senegalese employees’ rights
■ Louis Berger – Employment contract terminations in Cameroon
■ Nokia - for the closure of offices in Mali and Niger
■ BBC - On a Labour claim before the District Labour Court in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
■ Oracle – On employment obligation in Burkina Faso and Gabon

Natural Resources:
GENI & KEBE has advised Cairn Energy, on Senegal’s first offshore oil discovery, as well as on the country’s largest ever electricity project. GENI & KEBE also represents renewable energy operators and energy multinationals in relation to regulatory compliance, private-public partnerships and environmental approvals.

■ Kosmos Energy – Joint operating agreement and regulatory requirements for oil exploration in Senegal
■ American Capital – Renewable wind farm project in Taiba Ndiaye, Senegal
■ African Development Bank - for the financing of a Thermic Power plan in Malicounda Senegal
■ Sundance – Acquisition of an equity interest in Congolese mining company Iron Congo
■ Endeavour Mining - Acquisition of Teranga Gold

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs):
With growing interest in forming PPPs to accelerate development. GENI & KEBE advises on the contractual and regulatory requirements in PPP projects and provides training on understanding the legal environment for PPP investments.

■ Jindal Power – USD 900 million, 350 MW PPP power plant deal with state electricity company Senelec
■ Mitrelli - EPC project with the Senegalese Government

Real Estate & Construction:
■ Orascom – Responsible housing project in Senegal
■ Savini Group – USD 90 million housing project in Gabon

Tax:
GENI & KEBE advises on regulatory compliance, assists companies to maximise their tax position and represents clients in contentious matters with the tax authorities

■ Maroc Telecom – Tax issues dealing with a share purchase agreement in Côte d'Ivoire
■ British Airways –Tax issues following reassignment of Senegalese branch offices upon a merger with Iberia Airlines
■ Yandex Taxi – Taxes on a software app in Côte d’Ivoire

Telecommunications, Media & Technology:
GENI & KEBE provides advice on a broad range of telecommunications regulation, intellectual property and technology law issues

■ Microsoft Corporation – Roll out of Windows Live Service across several jurisdictions in Sub Saharan Africa
■ West African Economic and Monetary Union – Survey on the legal aspects of the TMT sector in six West African countries with the aim to harmonise legislation ■ Sky Vision Global Networks – Telecommunications acquisitions in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Niger