Alfred Olufemi

1 week ago | law.com | Alfred Olufemi

South Africa’s draft policy to ease Black ownership requirements in the tech sector—potentially opening the door for companies like Elon Musk’s Starlink—could also redefine how law firms engage with Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) law. Communications Minister Solly Malatsi has released a proposed framework that introduces Equity Equivalent Investment Programmes (EEIPs) as an alternative to the 30% Black ownership rule for foreign-owned companies.

1 week ago | law.com | Alfred Olufemi

A&O Shearman, Gide Loyrette Nouel, and Asafo & Co are steering high-stakes deals tied to Morocco’s $16 billion infrastructure push ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup but not all firms are benefiting just yet—Al Tamimi is still grappling with an internal restructuring in Casablanca while others refine their pitches and make strategic hires. Morocco, Spain and Portugal won their joint bid to host the sporting event with Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay hosting a game each.

2 weeks ago | law.com | Alfred Olufemi

Britain has signed a landmark £3.4 billion treaty handing over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after decades of legal battles involving Boston-headquartered Foley Hoag, Dentons Mauritius, and several leading London barristers. The negotiations were led by government lawyers with the barristers enlisted for litigation, according to a lawyer familiar with the matter. London’s Essex Chambers, Blackstone Chambers, Twenty Essex, and King’s Bench Walk all played a role.

2 weeks ago | law.com | Alfred Olufemi

South Africa’s 1965 Arbitration Act isn’t just slowing down justice—it is creating costly, avoidable delays and may even be threatening the country’s credibility as an arbitration hub, according to lawyers at Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), Baker Mckenzie and other top firms. Although South Africa passed a separate International Arbitration Act for international disputes in 2017, commercial disputes between South African entities are still governed by the Arbitration Act of 1965.

2 weeks ago | law.com | Alfred Olufemi

Donald Trump sparked a diplomatic storm by ambushing South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office on Wednesday with discredited claims of white farmer persecution, further straining U.S.-South Africa relations. Trump’s claims were based in part on images the U.S. President described as burial sites for more than 1,000 white farmers in South Africa. Those images, which included crosses planted on the ground, were not, in fact, actual graves.