Lawyer-led discussion on the actual legal complexities of doing business across African regions — East, West, Southern and francophone Africa. Built as a dynamic, regional roundtable with structured segments, this session will dig into the granular legal issues that make-or-break deals on the continent.

Core topics of discussion:

• Regulatory volatility: how do frequent legislative changes (eg, FX controls, tax law shifts, local content rules) impact deal certainty?
• Licensing and permitting: the hidden timelines, informal barriers and creative workarounds lawyers must manage
• Enforcement and remedies: contract enforcement challenges, judicial bottlenecks and viable alternatives (eg, arbitration, administrative remedies)
• Sector spotlights: legal quirks in key sectors such as energy, tech, infrastructure and agriculture – what's changing, what’s stalling
• Regional fragmentation vs harmonisation: how lawyers are navigating divergent compliance expectations despite AfCFTA
• Navigating government and political exposure: how lawyers mitigate corruption risks and political instability without breaching ethical or legal lines

Format:

• Each panellist represents a region and brings one to two real legal ‘deal breakers’ or ‘creative wins’ they’ve navigated.
• Each segment ends with one to two practical investment takeaways for businesses/investors attending.
• Final 20 minutes is open floor: attendees (including investors, corporates) ask legal-in-practice questions.