MEDIA

Echoes from the field

The African Legal Support Facility supports the Government of the Republic of Mozambique

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 28 February 2022: On the 23rd of February, the Facility completed the first of two training sessions for civil servants and government officials in Mozambique on PPPs. The event took place from 21 to 23 February 2022 and was conducted in the Portuguese language. The success of this capacity building event is a testament to the commitment and cooperation of the Republic of Mozambique and the ALSF.

The training was held in conjunction with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and benefitted 35 participants from relevant ministries and the public sector of Mozambique. The participants included government officials from a range of sectors such as energy, water, roads, ports and railways, as well as legal advisors from various public bodies.

The workshop focused on Public-Private Partnerships (“PPP”) and covered introductory aspects related to PPP projects and project finance, such as risk allocation, financing structure, indemnities, force majeure, and the applicable legal and institutional framework in Mozambique. The participants updated their knowledge and skills in the PPP sector and shared their experiences during the training session.

This capacity building initiative will continue with a second session scheduled to take place in Maputo in mid-March, which will focus on contractual terms of PPP agreements, risk allocation, and complementary “soft skills” such as strategies and techniques for negotiation, leadership, and team management, required to adequately structure and negotiate PPP transactions, including simulation of actual negotiations.

The Facility selected the Lisbon-based law firm Vieira de Almeida e Associados, together with the Maputo-based GDA Advogados, to develop and deliver this training event alongside the ALSF.

This first session was a great way to resume this capacity building initiative, after a forced hiatus due to pandemic-related restrictions. In-person meetings and face-to-face interactions allowed for meaningful discussions, with the participants having been very engaged and contributing to interesting reflections on the specificities of Mozambican practice. The next session will deepen some of the preliminary issues discussed and include mock negotiation exercises that we hope will be very engaging.” Rita Madeira, Legal Counsel at the ALSF.

 

About the ALSF

Established by the African Development Bank in 2008, the ALSF assists African governments in negotiating complex commercial transactions, providing legal and technical assistance and developing capacity building tools in the key sectors of infrastructure and public-private partnerships, energy, natural resources and extractive industries, as well as on sovereign debt and creditor disputes.

 

Contact us

Eve Ehoura, Communication Officer : e.ehoura@afdb.org

ALSF Website : https://www.alsf.int