Latest news with #GeneralCounsel
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
African Energy Week (AEW) 2025 African Energy General Counsel Forum to Spotlight Strategic Legal Leadership, Dealmaking and Doing Business in African Oil & Gas
The African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies conference – taking place from September 29 to October 3 in Cape Town – will host a groundbreaking African Energy General Counsel Forum, aimed at tackling challenges and opportunities surrounding doing business in Africa. The Forum will become a cornerstone event for legal leaders operating at the intersection of Africa's fast-evolving oil and gas sector, with conversations expected around corporate governance, digital transformation, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the expanding influence of general counsel in African oil and gas. As global energy dynamics experience a significant shift, with pressure to transition to renewable energy and the introduction of machine-learning technology, Africa stands at a pivotal moment. New discoveries across the continent – in conjunction with heightened opposition from environment groups – have impacted oil and gas transactions. As such, both in-house and external counsel have taken on a more strategic role. The AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025 African Energy General Counsel Forum steps into this picture to tackle pressing questions faced by African oil and gas markets. These include how the role of general counsel is evolving in Africa; what are companies doing to navigate shifting energy dynamics while promoting growth in their departments; how are in-house teams developing highly effective relationships with external counsel; and how are both in-house and external counsel supporting firms to deliver value in oil and gas transactions. AEW: Invest in African Energies is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit for more information about this exciting event. Africa's oil and gas sector is experiencing rapid growth, with discoveries made in Namibia, Ivory Coast, Gabon and more opening-up new hydrocarbon provinces. In tandem, established producers such as Angola, Libya, Nigeria and the Republic of Congo are advancing billion-dollar projects, striving to bolster production and value addition. Downstream, infrastructure projects such as the East African Crude Oil Pipeline in Uganda, the Lobito Refinery in Angola and the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline offers new export and domestic distribution opportunities, signaling a shift in oil and gas trade in Africa. Given these developments, the continent's M&A activity showed a 73% increase in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the previous year, reaching $12.7 billion by July. Yet, amid this growth, the continent continues to face fierce opposition by environmental groups, with other challenges such as regulatory bottlenecks, access to financing and legal disputes impacting projects. The rise of AI and digital tools has also presented implications for the industry – both positive, with the opportunity to improve efficiency and reduce emissions, as well as negative, with access to technology and capacity challenges. In an environment marked by shifting energy and investment dynamics, the role of in-house and general counsel has never been more central. African counsel has an evolving role to play in supporting transactions, as they take on a more prominent role as a strategic advisor for the industry. As legal departments evolve, so do the expectations of their leadership. Legal leaders are being called upon to anticipate geopolitical and regulatory risks, shape ESG strategies and influence boardroom decisions that guide billion-dollar investments. The African Energy General Counsel Forum will address the most pressing legal dynamics shaping Africa's oil and gas industry. These include navigating local regulatory frameworks, managing cross-border transactions, resolving upstream disputes and working effectively with local counsel. The Forum will also examine what energy companies expect from in-house teams as they strive to mitigate legal risk and drive business value. For legal professionals, investors and executives alike, the Forum offers a critical platform to align legal infrastructure with Africa's ambitious oil and gas vision. As the continent pursues greater production, lower emissions and broader participation, the African Energy General Counsel Forum will be a strategic platform to place African counsel, AI and governance at the center of the race to make energy poverty history by 2030. 'Today's general counsel in Africa's oil and gas sector is not just a legal gatekeeper - they are a strategic catalyst for investment, compliance and growth. As the sector expands across new frontiers, legal leaders must step into roles that shape investor confidence, navigate regulatory complexity and harness emerging technologies like AI to unlock value across the energy value chain,' stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
National Post
20-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
General Counsels Accelerate Technology Adoption to Tackle Compliance Pressures
Article content WILMINGTON, Del. — General counsels (GCs) across the globe are rapidly adopting technology, including generative artificial intelligence (AI), to optimize legal operations and stay on top of growing compliance pressures. This is according to new research conducted among 350 GCs and legal compliance officers across key global markets commissioned by CSC, the world's leading provider of global business administration and compliance solutions. Article content CSC's study 1, General Counsel Barometer 2025, reveals that upgrading technology and automation sits firmly at the top of legal departments' strategic priorities for the year ahead. The majority of legal departments (97%) are already using generative AI, with 49% saying the technology is significantly helping their legal teams. Article content The most widely reported benefits of AI tools include handling larger volumes of work more efficiently (66%), improving processing times (40%), and enhancing fraud detection and risk management (41%)—highlighting technology's role in easing pressure on stretched legal teams and strengthening operational resilience. Article content 'Even a year ago, everyone was interested in AI, but at the same time, were still standing on the sidelines and asking how trustworthy it was,' said Thijs van Ingen, global head of Corporate Solutions at CSC. 'We're now seeing real added value and productivity gains, particularly in complex areas like M&A. The shift towards tech-enabled partners shows GCs are acting decisively to modernize their departments in the face of mounting operational pressure.' Article content Yet confidence is tempered by caution. 72% of GCs have implemented internal governance policies to manage AI use, citing fraud, data privacy, and third-party risks as their top concerns. Article content 'AI is here to stay—but responsible use is key,' added Ian McConnel, chief legal officer at CSC. 'GCs are rightly focused on governance, accuracy, and data integrity. As legal teams evolve, they're becoming leaders in embedding safe, effective AI into core business processes—but success will depend on ensuring the data sets behind these tools are both accurate and robust.' Article content These shifts are happening against a backdrop of rising compliance demands. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of GCs expect legal and regulatory costs to increase in the next three years, yet only 27% say they feel 'very prepared' for new requirements such as expanded beneficial ownership disclosures. The changing regulatory landscape was cited as the number one risk to legal operations in 2025. Article content As well as embracing technology, nearly six-in-10 (58%) GCs report increased outsourcing to specialist partners—a move driven by resourcing constraints and the need for scalable, tech-enabled support across multiple jurisdictions. Article content 'As organizations pursue global expansion, GCs are leading the charge,' adds van Ingen. 'By embedding smarter systems and forming strategic partnerships, GCs are playing a pivotal role in helping their organizations manage risk, drive efficiency, and scale legal operations globally. This marks a defining shift in the role of legal function, where GCs are guiding their organizations into a more agile, tech-enabled future.' 1 CSC, in partnership with Pure Profile, surveyed 350 general counsels and legal compliance officers in the Americas, Europe including UK, and Asia Pacific in 2025. Survey respondents were drawn from a range of industry sectors including communications, banking and financial services, healthcare, insurance, law, and real estate. Article content CSC is the trusted partner of choice for more than 90% of the Fortune 500®, more than 90% of the 100 Best Global Brands (Interbrand®), and more than 70% of the PEI 300. We are the world's leading provider of global business administration and compliance solutions, specialized administration services to alternative asset managers across a range of fund strategies, transactions involving capital markets participants in both public and private markets, domain name system management and digital brand and fraud protection, and corporate tax software solutions. Founded in 1899 and headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, CSC prides itself on being privately held and professionally managed for more than 125 years. CSC has office locations and capabilities in more than 140 jurisdictions across Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. We are a global company capable of doing business wherever our clients are—and we accomplish that by employing experts in every business we serve. We are the business behind business®. Learn more at Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content For more information: Citigate Dewe Rogerson Hassan Ali | Amber Liu cscteam@ Article content Article content Article content
