Africa is the future for energy transition, and more (LIDW25 briefs)

Over the past week, leading figures from the global dispute resolution community have been connecting, learning, and socialising across a huge variety of London International Disputes Week (LIDW25) sessions and events, exploring key issues and topics, and helping to drive awareness and best practice globally.

“Africa is the most important jurisdiction in the global energy transition,” said an expert panel on Wednesday, while discussing “Navigating the legal and economic complexities of African projects: disputes arising from the financial landscape, sustainability concerns and ESG considerations” at the Sun Street Hotel in London. 

One of more than 250 member-hosted events during LIDW25, the panel featured an outstanding array of experts sharing their perspectives, insights, and expertise.

Chaired by Poupak Anjomshoaa, a partner at DWF who previously worked for several years as a General Counsel for a petrochemical company in Egypt, the panel included Oluseye Opasanya SAN and Mitchell Aghatise from Olaniwun Ajayi in Nigeria; Amaechi Nsofor, the Head of Africa Business Group at Grant Thornton UK and his fellow partner Paul Cliff; and Poupak’s fellow DWF partner Solomon Ebere. 

Following the panel discussion, we spoke with Amaechi to get his perspective on LIDW25, perception vs reality with African investing, and the continent's role in energy transition. 

Why is it important for you and Grant Thornton to be involved with London International Disputes Week - attending, speaking at, and hosting events?

LIDW is very important to our firm. A massive part of the firm revolves around what we do when things go wrong. Disputes, expert witness work, and other things. It’s a significant part of the firm, and growing. Not only that, when you look at it from a jurisdictional point of view, there are lots of disputes on the continent of Africa. So it's important that we keep a focus on those two things. 

Today’s panel talked about investing in Africa having high returns but greater perceived risk. How important is it for advisors to get on the ground in Africa so they can better understand the reality versus the (mis)perceptions?

I think first, never trust your gut instinct, because it’s bound to be wrong. There are risks in Africa, but that’s going to be priced into any activity you’re doing on the ground. The only way you can get a good picture, the true picture, as to the reality, is if you are on the ground, looking at those projects, rolling your sleeves up, speaking to the locals, speaking to the government, the banks, the financiers, etc. Otherwise you’ll just be led by what the Corruption Perceptions Index says. 

Your panel also discussed African being key for global energy transition. Could you share some of your recent experiences, and perspectives on Africa’s future? 

Yeah, energy transition and Africa go hand in hand. I mean, the amount of critical minerals that we have on the Continent is significant. We need to be a driving force behind that transition to renewable energy, to cleaner energy. Where I would draw a line, as I said earlier, is when people try to get Africa off fossil fuels now and try to get us onto more expensive, less developed technology, which tends to cost more, add more compliance and road blocks, etc. The reason I draw a line at that is that Africa is not to blame for where the world finds itself in terms of global warming and wider environments. We do have a role to play, but that role needs to be a positive role, and it cannot be a role that ends up with us having to sacrifice our fossil fuels.

Can you share more about the Africa Business Group you lead at Grant Thornton?

Our Africa practice has existed for quite a while, nearly 10 years. I chose to focus on this Group because I’m passionate about Africa. I’m Nigerian-British, so that gives me two perspectives. When you look at the continent of Africa, I've got really good insights, really good contacts on the ground, and in terms of the international investments that we make as a firm, I think the last place that remains untapped from our perspective, and that we had to address, was Africa. We can see the same with some of our clients. So Africa is very important to us, on the insolvency and asset recovery side, on the forensics and disputes side. It's also very important to us when you look at things like audits and valuations, both contentious and non contentious. So pretty much everything we do touches upon Africa. And that's why I believe it's the future, and the future of Grant Thornton. 

This interview is part of Africa Legal's coverage of London International Disputes Week 2025. You can read more about other delegates, speakers, and events: 

• Tailoring a green legal practice (LIDW25 briefs)

• The Power of Pro Bono, for all involved
• Connecting with great minds (LIDW25 briefs)

• Africa is on the agenda as London International Disputes Week begins

Or view our full suite of LIDW25 coverage here