Businesses and investors are increasingly looking to enter Africa and expand operations across the continent.
Recognising this and responding to client needs, Webber Wentzel and leading Mozambican law firm, Avillez Bacar Centeio & Cambule – Sociedade de Advogados (ABCC), recently signed a bilateral collaboration agreement to formalise their close working relationship over many years.
The agreement will further deepen the relationship between these leading firms and create a stronger platform to serve clients in Mozambique. The agreement also puts in place concrete measures to enable consistent and collaborative best practice sharing and more joint thought leadership as well as training and legal secondments.
Christo Els, Senior Partner Webber Wentzel,
"We have had a long-standing and mutually supportive relationship with ABCC (previously SCAN) for several years and are now delighted to be entering into a formal bilateral collaboration agreement with ABCC. Mozambique continues to be a key jurisdiction for our clients. We are strong believers in the prospects of our key strategic neighbour, Mozambique and its people and we expect, in the medium to long term, an increase in economic growth and opportunities in the country and activity in the oil and gas sector to resume."
Francisco Avillez, Managing Partner ABCC,
“For ABCC, the partnership represents a strategic advance from the point of view of positioning with our international clients, it enhances our project for exponential and sustainable growth, organised around an innovative business model and advanced technology. The partnership allows, on the other hand, a mutual gain and access to the best legal solutions available for the global corporate legal market, in addition to access to a wider range of services and new legal solutions. Webber Wentzel represents a strategic gain in terms of exchanging know-how and sophistication of legal methods and solutions for our clients. We believe that by partnering with Webber Wentzel, we will be on the right path to leading business advocacy in Mozambique.
About Webber Wentzel
Webber Wentzel is an African firm founded more than 150 years ago, providing legal and tax services throughout the continent. We have been at the forefront of deal-making and have acted on the most complex and transformational matters in Africa's most vital sectors. Our vision is to work alongside our clients in building the essential economic pillars that enable long-term economic development: in-country, regionally and across the African continent. We bring international perspective to our clients through our alliance with Linklaters, one of the world's leading firms. Our longstanding Lusophone connections enable us to provide a unique offering in Mozambique. We support a range of key clients across Mozambique's most active sectors such as energy (including renewables), infrastructure / transport, mining, financial services / fintech, TMT, agribusiness / food and beverage and private equity / strategic investors.
Webber Wentzel was named African Law Firm of the Year (African Legal Awards, 2019), Legal Dealmakers of the Decade (Dealmakers, 2020) and Africa Tax Firm of the Year (International Tax Review, 2020).
About ABCC
Avillez, Bacar, Centeio & Cambule (ABCC) (formerly SCAN) is a first-tier law firm in the Mozambican market. The firm was established in 2009 as a result of the union of a team of lawyers with around 25 years of experience. ABCC combines legal and a business-oriented perspective into a dynamic and constructive approach that adds value to the business of its clients. The merit of the ABCC team and, in particular, the solid experience, local and international, of their members are widely recognized inside and outside Mozambique.
In the diverse branches of law, ABCC has represented government institutions and public companies, as well as private entities, including major engineering companies and foreign organisations in matters related to natural resources (water, waste, energy, construction and civil engineering, and logistics sectors). ABCC has also advised on many of the largest and most important transactions carried out in Mozambique in the areas of commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, privatisations, banking, financial, tax and customs, and has acted on numerous lawsuits, including recovery claims and arbitration. ABCC's clients include some of the largest Mozambican and international companies and business groups.
ABCC is widely recognised inside and outside of Mozambique for its expertise. ABCC, although relatively young, has already received international recognition in Chambers Global, Legal 500, and IFLR.
