THE FIRM
Houda Law Firm is a full-service and leading law firm based in Dakar (Senegal) and in Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire). Founded in 1977, the firm has extensive experience establishing foreign companies and providing counsel, legal assistance, and litigation representation in court. The firm is under the leadership of managing partner Khaled Abou El Houda. It consists of a 31-person staff and benefits from the experience international lawyers with senior lawyers registered at the Bars of Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, France and the Law Society of England and Wales.
EXPERTISE IN M&A
The African market has seen its M&A deals growing up in 2017 especially in the energy and financial sectors.
Traditional industries concerned by M&A in Africa includes natural resources, mines, oil & gas and infrastructures. Furthermore, new sectors have emerged such as telecom, media, banking, insurance and consumer goods sectors and are the subject of a growing interest from investors.
Houda Law Firm is experienced in acquisitions and dispositions in a wide range of industries including those from the following sectors:
– Mining companies;
– Financial companies;
– Energy companies;
– Agro-food companies;
– Telecommunication companies;
– Private equity, including venture capital and sovereign wealth funds;
– Financial advisors.
The firm’s lawyers participate in all types of M&A transactions on a global basis, including:
– Acquisitions of shares of a listed mining company.
Houda Law Firm provided a legal assistance and undertook a due diligence on the target company’s mining interests. It also led a verification of legal compliance of the transfer transaction.
– Acquisition of a Spanish company with subsidiaries in Senegal
Houda Law Firm advised a multinational company operating in the mining sector. The firm completed a due diligence as well as a legal diagnosis concerning the existence of the target company, its securities, the social acts, the commercial contracts signed, and the intellectual property rights. It has also review of the acts of assignment, the shareholders’ pact and made a verification of legal compliance of the transfer transaction.
– Acquisition of two subsidiaries of Australian companies operating in mining sector
Houda Law Firm provided a legal assistance and conducted a due diligence and verification of legal compliance of the target and of the transfer transaction, as well as a legal diagnosis of social documents, mining titles and a study of risks related to the transaction.
– Transfer of securities by a shareholder in Senegal by a French group operating in the financial sector
Houda Law Firm advised for the completion of formalities relating to the drafting of the deed of assignment and made verification of the legal compliance of the transfer transaction.
– Acquisition of a Senegalese industrial company by a North African multinational operating in the agro-food sector.
Houda Law Firm received a mandate to conduct a due diligence and a legal diagnosis of the Senegalese company, and to review the social documents, the authorizations and permits, the commercial contracts and the employment contracts.
– Sale of shares issued by a Senegalese company operating in the telecommunications sector, between two companies under foreign law, backed by the signing of a credit agreement for the benefit of a banking pool.
Houda Law Firm drafted and negotiated pledge agreements for securities of Senegalese companies and intragroup loan collateralization agreement. It completed the mission by issuing a legal opinion on the validity of the pledges of securities and the pledge of debts.
