In a recent investment arbitration Award, in Cortec Mining v Kenya, an ICSID tribunal has declined jurisdiction over a claim brought by a trio of mining companies on the basis that the mining licences at issue had not been obtained lawfully due to the Claimants’ failure to obtain the required environmental impact assessments. In its … Read more

Despite its relatively small size (approximately 110,000km with a population of four million people), Liberia, the oldest republic in Africa, is a resource-rich country with significant deposits of iron ore, gold and diamonds. The West African mining industry is facing significant headwinds from the combined effect of: the Ebola virus outbreak, which has caused the … Read more

The African market will continue to thrive thanks to increased availability of capital and investment in natural resources, power and infrastructure. Since 2008 the world economy has undergone significant strain, which has had an effect on growth across all regions. However, in the face of these global headwinds, domestic supply shocks and civil conflict, Africa … Read more

As investment continues to flow into the continent, the number of disputes is also risingOver the last decade investment into Africa from foreign companies, financial institutions and private equity groups has soared, while investment between African countries is also increasing. For those willing and able to seek out its opportunities, Africa represents the world’s largest … Read more

The Court of Appeal of the Lagos Judicial Division recently issued a pro-arbitration decision holding that courts may only intervene in arbitral proceedings where specifically permitted by Nigeria’s arbitration law and set aside an injunction obtained ex parte by Nigeria’s state oil company NNPC restraining arbitration proceedings brought by Chevron and Statoil. Meanwhile, the Democratic … Read more

A strange thing happened at the annual Africa Downunder conference in Perth last week, and it had nothing to do with the record attendance of more than 2,500 delegates from Australian and overseas mining companies, service providers, financiers and governments. It was the vastly different, almost conflicting, messages coming out of senior Australian government ministers … Read more

We have previously blogged about Africa’s importance to Australian mining , and the vast amount of resources work going on in the region – but how can you get your foot in the door? On Monday night we attempted to answer this when our Perth office hosted 50 guests from the mining, legal and accountancy … Read more

Andrew Michelmore, CEO of Minmetals Resources Limited (MMR), treated those who attended Tuesday night’s AMPLA Twilight Seminar at Freehills to a thought-provoking presentation. MMR is not your everyday company. Its management team is based in Melbourne, it is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and its major shareholder is the state-owned China Minmetals Corporation. … Read more