Firm examines African free trade agreement

To discuss issues affecting global and regional businesses, a Global law firm, Hogan Lovells has  hosted a round table for General Counsel (GC) in Nigeria to examine the implication of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) on businesses in Nigeria.
  
According to the firm, the event serves as a platform for counsels from key industry players to discuss global legal practices and explore the issues and opportunities across various sectors.
  
The speakers included Hogan Lovells London-based partners, Andrew Skipper, head of Hogan Lovells Africa practice, Arun Velusami, Energy and projects specialist, Sarah Shaw, who focuses on cross border monitoring and evaluation.

In a statement made available to The Guardian, the head of the firms Africa practice, Andrew Skipper highlighted the importance of gaining an understanding of the overall impact Brexit may have on lawyers businesses and stressed the need to be vigilant and prepared.

“With so much global uncertainty, Africa will become increasingly attractive to foreign investors, but African businesses must ensure they are well positioned to operate in a global marketplace, and this is where firms like ours can help,” he said.He said that AfCFTA could be a key driver for many local companies to expand and grow across territories as trade barriers are removed, adding that it is crucial to trade development.

“This is our inaugural GC roundtable in Lagos and we are happy it has been a huge success. The event was organised to discuss global best practices, examine the looming impact of Brexit and cross-border trade for African companies, and to establish solutions that can lead to sustainable growth; and we are happy to have had engaging discussions that will shape the way organizations address these key issues going forward.

“We believe that General Counsels are increasingly the agents of change at institutions, their roles have become more expansive; and discussions such as these will help the industry achieve progressive processes that lead to growth. We look forward to hosting more engagements like this with other leading players in the African market,” he said.  
  
With over 40 offices across the world, Hogan Lovells is committed to providing business-oriented legal advice and high-quality service across its exceptional breadth of practices to clients around the world.