Team size: 43

Jurisdictions your role covers: Burundi, Congo, Tanzania & UAE

Q&A

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in? 

We recently supported several landmark transactions, including Tanzania’s pioneering green bond, infrastructure bond and sukuk bond, which attracted strong participation from local and international investors, including IFC and BII. Our team led transaction structuring, regulatory approvals and governance oversight, ensuring compliance with banking, capital markets and Shariah requirements. We also supported CRDB’s expansion into Dubai and advised on complex cross-border governance and capital matters in DRC. In addition, we have been leading the development of a Group Governance Framework to strengthen oversight, accountability and decision-making across the Group, positioning CRDB for sustainable growth as an integrated regional financial services group. 

How do you navigate the legal complexities of cross-border transactions within the East African Community (EAC) and beyond? 

Cross-border transactions in East Africa require an understanding of regulatory intent, market practice and cultural differences across jurisdictions. This is particularly important given that our operating environment spans common law, civil law, and OHADA-based legal systems, each with distinct regulatory expectations. 

Our approach is to establish a strong governance framework at every transaction. Rather than viewing legal advice as a final checkpoint, the legal function is embedded from the structuring stage to identify legal and regulatory risks early.  

Having oversight of subsidiaries in their jurisdictions allow us to maintain a group-wide perspective while respecting local regulatory requirements. We leverage local counsel where necessary, but our role is to ensure consistency of legal, governance standards and commercial objectives across the Group. 

The emergence of Islamic finance products has further reinforced the importance of multidisciplinary legal thinking. These transactions require alignment between conventional banking regulations, capital markets requirements and Shariah governance principles. Success therefore depends on bringing together legal, regulatory, business and Shariah expertise to develop structures that are commercially viable, compliant and acceptable to investors across multiple jurisdictions.

In light of increasing regulatory scrutiny across sectors in East Africa, how are you adapting your compliance frameworks to stay ahead of change? 

Regulators across East Africa are increasingly focused on governance effectiveness, data protection, consumer protection, ESG, anti-money laundering and operational resilience. As a result, our focus has shifted from compliance monitoring to compliance anticipation. 

We maintain close engagement with regulators and industry bodies across our jurisdictions, enabling us to identify emerging trends before they become formal regulatory requirements. This allows us to assess potential impacts on the business and implement changes proactively rather than retrospectively. 

A key priority has been strengthening governance oversight across the Group, with reporting mechanisms to boards and board committees. This ensures that regulatory developments, compliance risks and remediation actions receive appropriate strategic attention. We also work closely with compliance, risk and business teams to ensure that regulatory obligations are translated into practical business processes rather than remaining as policy documents. 

Most importantly, we continue to foster a culture where compliance is viewed as a business responsibility rather than solely a compliance function responsibility. In my experience, the most effective compliance framework is one that is embedded in decision-making at every level of the organisation and supported by strong governance, accountability and ethical leadership.

What trends are you seeing in foreign investment into the region, and how does your role support or facilitate these opportunities? 

Recent data from TISEZA (Tanzania’s government investment promotion agency) indicates that during the January–March 2026 quarter, the country attracted investment projects worth approximately US$1.12bn. 

At the same time, the government’s emphasis on local content requirements in strategic sectors such as mining and oil and gas has strengthened collaboration between foreign and local investors, particularly through partnerships. This has in turn increased the demand for structured financing solutions to support such projects. 

From a legal perspective, our role is to ensure that the business is well-positioned to tap into these opportunities by providing innovative and tailored financing structures, while maintaining full regulatory compliance.