Algeria

ADNA, the pan-African law firm, strengthens its presence on the continent with an office in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This strategic move marks a new phase in the firm’s growth and reinforces its ability to support clients on the most complex transactions across Africa, particularly within the OHADA region. With this new presence in Kinshasa, ADNA expands its footprint in Francophone Africa—where the firm is already established in Abidjan, Algiers, Casablanca, and Conakry—and marks its entry into Central Africa, with an integrated approach combining international standards and strong local expertise. The Kinshasa office will be led by Serge Nawej Tshitemb’u, who joins ADNA as a partner. Trained in Belgium, where he studied law at the Université libre de Bruxelles and began his legal career, he later practised at DLA Piper in London before founding Proxima International in 2014, a leading law firm in the Democratic Republic of Congo. With over 20 years of experience, Serge advises an international client base, including investors, financial institutions, and industrial groups, on complex transactions, particularly in the mining, energy, infrastructure, banking, and telecommunications sectors. He has been involved in large-scale transactions representing several billion US dollars and has developed recognised expertise in highly complex legal, financial, and regulatory environments. This integration builds on a long-standing collaboration between ADNA and Proxima International, grounded in shared values and a common vision. It enables ADNA to establish a strong presence in Central Africa, suppported by a team with local roots and proven expertise. The Kinshasa office will focus on the firm’s core areas of expertise: M&A, financing (corporate, sovereign, and project finance), major infrastructure and energy projects, mining law, tax, and complex dispute resolution, with a focus on high-value transactions for regional and international institutional clients. The DRC is emerging as a strategic market for international investors, particularly in natural resources, infrastructure, and financial services. In this context, ADNA aims to support its clients on their most critical challenges, drawing on deep market knowledge and execution capabilities aligned with the highest international standards. This expansion is also part of a broader regional development strategy. The DRC stands at the crossroads between Francophone and Anglophone Africa, offering significant opportunities for cross-border growth. It strengthens collaboration across ADNA’s offices and supports investment flows across the continent. Leveraging its membership in the Africa Legal Network (ALN), ADNA further enhances its ability to support clients on complex pan-African transactions, delivering seamless and coordinated support across regions. “The opening of our Kinshasa office goes beyond geographic expansion : iit fully reflects our identity and ambition. ADNA is an African firm, deeply rooted in the realities of the continent, committed to supporting its clients in achieving their economic ambitions in the most strategic markets,” said Salimatou Diallo, Managing Partner of the firm. “We are solution-driven, turning complexity into opportunity to support the most ambitious and strategic projects,” added Serge Nawej Tshitemb’u. “The DRC is not a peripheral opportunity — it is central to Africa’s future. Its legal landscape is among the continent’s most sophisticated: a reformed Mining Code, active local content regulation, OHADA commercial law, and an emerging capital markets framework all create a jurisdiction that demands expert counsel. ADNA’s expansion into Kinshasa is ALN delivering on its core commitment: to be where our clients are, across every axis of African business, with the expertise the market demands” said Gbenga Oyebode, Chairman of the Africa Legal Network.

We are pleased to announce that Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy (“MBH”) acted as the legal counsel to Triquera B.V. (“Triquera”), the majority shareholder of Minapharm Pharmaceuticals (“Minapharm”), in connection with the subscription of a minority stake by Admaius Capital Partners (“Admaius”), an Africa-focused private equity investor. The investment—executed through Admaius’s investment vehicle, Virunga Healix Limited—is intended to support Minapharm’s regional biotech expansion. Triquera and Admaius will partner to advance the development and manufacture of complex genetically engineered therapies. The collaboration aims to broaden access to high-quality, affordable recombinant proteins, reflecting both parties’ commitment to innovation and inclusive healthcare by scaling distribution networks across underserved markets in Africa and the Middle East. The MBH team advising on the transaction was led by Omar S. Bassiouny (Founding Partner and Group Head of Corporate and M&A) with support from Salma El Refaie (Senior Associate) and Mayar Sharafeldin (Associate). For more about Matouk Bassiouny, check out our website at https://matoukbassiouny.com/.

We are pleased to announce that Matouk Bassiouny’s (“MB”) arbitration team secured a significant victory for one of Egypt’s largest companies providing offshore marine and oil support services. The dispute arose out of a subcontract agreement for diving support vessel (“DSV”) subsea construction works related to a pipeline replacement project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“KSA”). The arbitration case was brought under the rules of the DIFC-LCIA and governed by Saudi law against a listed Asian company specializing in engineering design of offshore oil and natural gas development projects, represented by an international law firm. Following extensive proceedings and multiple phases of pleadings, in addition to several witnesses and experts’ evidence, the Tribunal issued its award granting our client its declaratory claims in addition to an entitlement of more than USD 6 million as well as arbitration costs. The Tribunal has further dismissed all counterclaims brought against our client exceeding USD 77 million. The team that secured this remarkable win consisted of Dr. Amr A. Abbas (Partner and Regional Head of Arbitration and Co-Head of Competition), Mohamed Sallam (Counsel), Mohamed Samy (Counsel), Khaled Abuo El Wafa (Senior Associate), Maha Zain (Senior Associate), Hany Omran (Associate) and Eman Hussein (Associate). Dr. Abbas commented: “This important result for our client— in a high-stakes dispute that included complex technical and legal issues—reflects our team’s expertise and unwavering commitment to delivering strategic, high-quality representation. This victory is a further testament to our regional expertise in handling complex disputes governed by different laws in the region, after having already secured arbitral wins over the past year under Lebanese, Qatari, Omani, and UAE laws.”    For more about Matouk Bassiouny, check out our website at https://matoukbassiouny.com/.

We are pleased to announce that Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy (“MBH”) acted as legal counsel to Neosky Aircraft and Requisites Chartering DWC (“Neosky”), a UAE-based company specializing in aircraft chartering and related services, in connection with its USD 13,250,000 acquisition of a Boeing 737-800 aircraft from AMC Airlines (“AMC”), a Cairo-based charter airline. We advised on all legal aspects of the transaction, including the negotiation and execution of transaction documents, coordination with the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority, the deregistration of the aircraft in accordance with both Egyptian and international aviation conventions, the transfer of title from AMC to Neosky, and the delivery terms of the aircraft. This acquisition highlights Neosky’s strategic expansion, enhancing its service offerings and fleet capabilities in the region’s air charter market. The MBH team advising on the transaction was led by Sherif El Hosseny (Partner and Head of Aviation) and included Nourhane Hamdy (Senior Associate) and Saifallah Kadry (Senior Associate). For more about Matouk Bassiouny, check out our website at https://matoukbassiouny.com/.