Bowmans is a full-service firm with offices across six
African jurisdictions, including
Mauritius, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda locations. The firm’s Zambian operations are based in the capital city of Lusaka, and
it boasts strategic partnerships
with alliance firms in Ethiopia and Nigeria.
The firm is
noted for its financing work, and is also active in
capital markets,
M&A, restructuring and project development.
In the finance space, the firm largely represents banks as lenders in complex refinancing proceedings.
The firm’s capital markets involvement includes
equity side counsel on IPO’s as well as
activity in the derivatives space.
In the M&A practice, the firm is active
principally in joint ventures and in representing sellers in divestments, as well as attending to a range of other deal types.
The firm’s restructuring work
largely involves shareholders of major international corporations.
In project development, the firm
sees to numerous deals involving the agriculture and energy sectors.
Among the firm’s key clients are Absa Bank Zambia, African Banking Corporation Zambia,
Coca-Cola, First Quantum Minerals,
Google, MasterCard,
Uber Technologies,
Vivo Energy and Weir Group.
Research period review: 32nd edition (2021/2022)
During the research period, the majority of the firm’s work was in the
banking space.
In this regard, the firm notably represented Investment Fund for Developing Countries as the lender to the
Republic of Zambia
to aid the nation in
repaying a debt to Nordea Bank.
In the capital markets space, the firm provided counsel to
financial institutions and major
corporations, particularly in the food and beverage sector.
The firm’s M&A involvement
included representation of clients from the financial services and construction sectors, including the
$150 million sale of 75% of the shares in Lafarge Zambia by
LafargeHolcim and several other
multi-jurisdictional deals.
In restructuring, the firm
represented clients from a variety of sectors, such as those of food and beverage,
insurance and transportation. Among these clients is the ride-share service Uber, who retained the firm for transactions relating to the expansion of its Zambian operations.
In project development, the firm’s work focused
on renewable energy and data technology solutions.
Deal highlights: 32nd edition (2021/2022)
Republic of Zambia $10 million
financing
Uber Technologies
restructuring
Client feedback: 32nd edition (2022/2023)
"Understood the transaction fully and guided on both local and international law."
"Technical competence, patience, listening, communication,
meeting of deadlines."
