Baker Botts Expands Africa Energy Capabilities With Strategic London Partner Appointments

Baker Botts Expands Africa Energy Capabilities with Strategic London Partner Appointments

Baker Botts has strengthened its Africa-focused energy practice with the addition of two partners, Alexander Msimang and Nadine Amr, who have joined the firm’s London office from Vinson & Elkins. The hires form part of Baker Botts’ broader strategy to expand its international energy capabilities and capitalise on growing opportunities across Africa’s oil, gas, power, and infrastructure sectors.

Both Msimang and Amr bring over a decade of experience advising on Africa-wide energy mandates, particularly in the oil and gas sector. Their arrival follows a period of increased activity in cross-border energy transactions driven by electricity market liberalisation, major infrastructure investment, and renewed investor interest in hydrocarbons and renewables across the continent. Notably, five of the seven lateral hires into Baker Botts’ London office this year have been in the energy practice, underlining the firm’s strategic focus on the sector.

The hires come amid a wider push by international law firms to deepen their Africa-facing energy capabilities. Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (“HSF Kramer”), which has maintained a presence in Johannesburg for over a decade, is also targeting growth in energy and natural resources as part of its long-term investment in the region. Africa generated approximately £52 million in revenue for HSF Kramer last year.

HSF Kramer’s Johannesburg office, which now has 51 lawyers, advises South African banks including Standard Bank and FirstRand on renewable energy financing and electricity trading mandates across Africa. The firm is positioning itself to secure larger mandates as governments pursue large-scale infrastructure projects, including a planned USD 25 billion electricity transmission grid in South Africa. French energy giant EDF, a long-standing HSF Kramer client, is among the companies shortlisted for the grid’s pre-qualified bidding stage.

Energy-related opportunities are also emerging across other African jurisdictions. Angola lifted its public monopoly on electricity transmission in July, while Nigeria and Libya have launched licensing rounds for oil and gas blocks aimed at attracting over USD 20 billion in investment. Demand for digital infrastructure, particularly data centres supporting artificial intelligence development, is also driving parallel growth in energy-related advisory work.

According to Msimang, the African energy market has seen renewed momentum following a temporary pullback by some foreign investors driven by ESG considerations. With global demand for oil and gas remaining strong and geopolitical pressures reshaping supply chains, multinational energy companies including Shell, Eni, Total, and Equinor have undertaken divestments in Nigeria, with further transactions expected in 2026. Shell is also increasing its gas investment in Nigeria, including a USD 2 billion offshore gas project targeted for production by 2030.

Despite the opportunities, cross-border energy projects across Africa continue to face challenges, including regulatory complexity, political risk, litigation exposure, and funding constraints. Large-scale projects such as the Mozambique LNG development and multi-jurisdictional pipeline initiatives remain complex to execute, requiring coordinated legal expertise across multiple legal systems.

As competition intensifies among international firms including Clifford Chance, White & Case, Bracewell, and Paul Hastings, Baker Botts’ strategic investment in Africa-focused energy expertise through its London office positions the firm to play a key role in advising on the continent’s next wave of energy and infrastructure development.

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