Rio Tinto’s Serbian saga offers a lesson in critical minerals

01 September, 2022
The failure of the Jadar Project in Serbia should be viewed as an opportunity for all role-players to recalibrate their processes in line with ESG principles. The northern hemisphere’s summer of 2022 will be remembered as one of the hottest in recorded history. For example, Nasa reported that June was one of the hottest Junes on record. … Read more

DRC Mining Week

12 May, 2022
Herbert Smith Freehills is a sponsor of DRC Mining Week taking place in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, on 1-3 June 2022. Paris-based Partner Bertrand Montembault will moderate a panel which will discuss Battery Minerals: is DRC ready to harness the Green Transition? Further details of the event can be found here. Read more

Green energy transition presents ‘unparalleled’ opportunity for Zambia

31 March, 2022
The green energy transition presents an “unparalleled” opportunity for Zambia, but for it to work, the mining sector needs a fair, predictable and stable regulatory framework, law firm Herbert Smith Freehills partner and Africa co-chair Peter Leon said during an address at the Chatham House Conference, in Lusaka, Zambia, on March 30. The administration of … Read more

CEMAC authorities issue special foreign exchange regulations for extractive companies

11 March, 2022
Following a period of three years punctuated by discussions and moratoria on the enforcement of CEMAC Regulation No. 02/18/CEMAC/UMAC/CM relating to foreign exchange (the “2018 Regulation”), extractive companies with activities in the CEMAC area may finally see some light at the end of the tunnel thanks to two new CEMAC foreign exchange regulations specifically designed … Read more

Local Content Policies and their value on the African Continent

02 March, 2022
Earlier this year, Peter Leon joined Sheila Khama as a guest on her Extractives Podcast series. In this episode, Peter and Sheila take a deep dive into the issue of Resource Nationalism. In particular, they reflect on local content policies and its effect on the African and Latin American mining sectors as well as investment … Read more

HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS IS NAMED AFRICA-WIDE PROJECTS & ENERGY LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR AT THE CHAMBERS AFRICA AWARDS 2022

18 January, 2022
Herbert Smith Freehills was named Africa-wide Projects & Energy Law Firm of the Year at the Chambers Africa Awards 2022. These awards recognise a law firm’s pre-eminence in key jurisdictions in the region and they also reflect achievements over the past 12 months, including outstanding work, impressive strategic growth and excellence in client service. In … Read more