ALPi network expands its fast-growing pan-African footprint into Lusophone Africa with the launch of a new office in Angola

The launch of a new Africa Law Practice International (ALPi) office in Angola just prior to Christmas is a strategic decision and important milestone for the pan-African firm given that it marks ALPi’s first entry into Lusophone Africa, said Olasupo Shasore SAN, the Chair of ALPi Group and Co-Chair of the Commonwealth Legal Network.

“Our entry into Angola is both deliberate and strategic,” said Shasore, after ALPi’s new office in Luanda was launched in partnership with leading Angolan lawyers. “It reflects ALPi Group’s long-term vision of building a truly Pan-African legal platform that mirrors Africa’s linguistic, legal, and commercial diversity. Angola is central to Africa’s energy, infrastructure and trade future, and establishing a strong, locally grounded practice here enables us to better support cross-border investment, regional integration, and Africa’s evolving role in the global economy.”

The launch of the new Angola office follows ALPi Group’s strong footprint across Anglophone Africa, and its successful expansion into the OHADA Francophone zone.

ALPi’s expansion into Ghana (Africa Legal Associates (ALPi Ghana)), Namibia (Shimaneni & Company Incorporated), Cote d’Ivoire (Effi & Associes) and now Angola in the past eighteen months bolsters the firm’s contention it is one of Africa’s most geographically diverse and AfCFTA-focused law networks, and the fastest-growing.

ALPi Angola will operate as a full-service corporate and commercial law firm, with a strong focus on cross-border trade, market entry advisory, and international transactions. Other core practice areas include banking and finance, oil and gas, mining, telecommunications and fintech, real estate and trust law, as well as legal advisory services for embassies, diplomatic missions, and foreign investors.

ALPi’s expansion into Angola is a proud moment for the firm’s pan-African journey, completing an important chapter in its continental strategy, said Nana Adjoa Hackman, Managing Partner of ALPi Ghana. The Luanda location positions ALPi at the intersection of southern Africa, Lusophone markets, and global trade routes. 

“This office strengthens our ability to advise investors, governments and institutions operating across Africa under the AfCFTA and within the wider Commonwealth and Global South,” said Hackman, who also sits on the influential Global Advisory Council of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council. “I am … looking forward to the opportunities this brings for deeper regional integration, cross-border collaboration, and impactful legal advisory services rooted in African expertise.”

Angola is one of Africa’s largest economies, a leading energy and minerals jurisdiction, and a critical gateway linking Southern, Central and Lusophone Africa, with strong commercial ties to Europe, Brazil and the wider Global South. 

As Angola continues to liberalise its economy, attract foreign direct investment and deepen its participation in regional and continental trade under AfCFTA, ALPi sees growing demand for sophisticated, cross-border legal advisory services anchored in local expertise and continental reach. Welcoming ALPi’s entry into Angola, 

Mário Gomes of Grupo Simples, one of Angola’s leading indigenous oil and gas services companies and a client of the firm, said the firm’s presence was already creating new opportunities. “What has impressed us most is the depth and breadth of expertise within the ALPi Group,” said Gomes. “Their strategic entry into Angola will help Angolan companies expand their intra-African trade, while their strong presence and long experience in Anglophone Africa is a major advantage for foreign companies seeking to do business in Angola and also neighbouring countries.”

With the addition of its new ALPi Angola office in Luanda, ALPi Group now operates in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Namibia, Mauritius, and Angola, with a representative office in Guyana, further strengthening its position as a truly pan-African legal services platform.