Tag Archives: Baker McKenzie Johannesburg

Smart Power lights up Africa’s road to pandemic recovery

Photo: Cape Town, South Africa. Author: Taryn Elliott (Pexels.com)

Kieran Whyte, Partner, Head of the Energy, Mining and Infrastructure Practice, Johannesburg, and Marc Fèvre, Partner, London, Baker McKenzie. Across Africa, access to power is hampered by the lack of access to competitive funding, the dire state of the continent’s utilities infrastructure and the need for energy policy and legislation to be adapted so that […]

South Africa on a clear path to benefit from trade in manufactured goods with other African countries

View from the Carlton Centre, Africa's tallest building. Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. Photo Credit: Adamina (www.flickr.com).

By Virusha Subban, Partner Specialising in Customs and Trade, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg President Cyril Ramaphosa outlined the country’s Economic Recovery Plan on Thursday 15 October 202o, during which he explained that South Africa  imported goods (excluding oil) are worth around ZAR1.1 trillion annually, and that if just 10% of these were manufactured locally, the country would add 2% to its Gross Domestic […]

The Impact of COVID-19 on China’s Belt and Road Initiatives in Africa

View from the Carlton Centre, Africa's tallest building. Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. Photo Credit: Adamina (www.flickr.com).

A new report by Economist Corporate Network, supported by Baker McKenzie and Silk Road Associates, BRI Beyond 2020 (report), shows that the ripple effects of COVID-19 are affecting the nature, pace and scope of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) activity in Africa, mostly for the short term. The report also explains how the virus has led […]

The impact of COVID-19 on finance and investment in Africa

An illustration created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the structure of the coronavirus now named COVID-19. Source: ScienceSource.com

By Morne van der Merwe, Managing Partner, and Wildu du Plessis, Head of Africa, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in mass production shutdowns and supply chain disruptions due to port closures in China, causing global ripple effects across all economic sectors in a rare “twin supply-demand shock”. With South Africa having just […]