About

Number of years practice: 17

Principal practice areas: TMT and life sciences

Languages spoken: French, English and German

What is the geographical focus of your practice in Africa?

Pan-African.

Please describe the most important matters you have worked on in the African market in the last two years, including your role and the significance of the matter (if any) to the development of business and law.

Advising MTN Group on major litigation issues in Benin, Cameroon and Ivory Coast. I have also assisted the Group on regulatory matters in the latter country, as well as Guinea (Conakry), Liberia and Uganda.

I have also assisted the Government of Mauritania for the procedure of the 4G licences. Additionally, I have advised several international players on growing data matters in Africa.

What differentiates your practice from that of other private practice lawyers?

Expertise in telecoms and data in Africa and other aspects including tax, corporate, regulatory, commercial and corporate. Some of our competitors only work on the Francophone or Anglophone parts, while we cover both.

I have extended my practice on healthcare and life sciences aspect with a focus on digital health. In this respect, we have just been shortlisted for a very new project in this matter in Gabon.

Why has Africa been a particularly strong focus for you?

I worked on African matters since 2005 and this practice is increasing. Africa is at the heart of the digital economy for a very obvious and practical reason; there were no traditional networks and now with cellular networks and also sub marine cables and subsequent fibre and backbones, e-commerce, fintech and digital health are obvious for African countries.

A leapfrogging and agile approach also allows the development of new technologies that will then be implemented in more mature countries.

What changes have you seen in the appetite for Africa-based ventures and investments over the last five years?

There is an appetite from investors coming from many locations. We don’t only advise French groups but rather international groups based in the US, Middle East, India, Singapore or Japan.

Are there any aspects of the African legal market that you would like to see change?

Better regional approach regarding issues such as data protection and cyber security. Africa is 54 countries which differ from one to another, so there is no pan-African legal framework.

However, there is [also] a real need to strengthen regional frameworks (such as SADC and WAEMU) to then consider interregional efficient legal and regulatory frameworks.

What megatrends do you think will shape the African market over the coming five years? How (if at all) will these trends affect your practice?

More cooperation between the countries, meaning bi-lateral and multi-lateral trade agreements, and the taking into consideration of the power of the continent with the corresponding need to set up appropriate legal and regulatory frameworks to facilitate exchanges not only within the continent but with the globalised world.