Clifford Chance (CC) has kicked off a training scheme for lawyers at African firms, which it says will give them access to magic circle standards of legal training.

The initiative, called the "Clifford Chance Africa Academy", aims to give junior and senior associates at CC's relationship firms access to a structured programme based on existing training courses developed by its global training arm, the Clifford Chance Academy, which provides technical and business skills training for its lawyers and business professionals.

Senior partner Malcolm Sweeting, global head of capital markets David Dunnigan and finance partner Edmund Boyo, who co-heads the firm's Africa group, attended the programme's launch in Lagos, Nigeria earlier this week.

The launch is further evidence of the ambitions of global law firms in Africa, which is fast-becoming one of the most desirable legal markets as lawyers try to profit from the region's high rates of economic growth.

Boyo said: "Our African counsel friends are vital to the success of our Africa practice and having solid, structured training courses will enable them, and us, to deliver the best advice to clients."

The CC programme was developed after the firm's partners identified that lawyers at African firms found it difficult to access high-quality training targeted at different career levels.

"Our African colleagues have shared with us that they lack ready access to legal training, particularly for their associates, in their home country," Boyo added. "We hope to help fulfill some of their needs."

The first course has already been held in Lagos, where 22 associates from law firms in Ghana and Nigeria participated. Nigerian law firms included: Templars, Banwo & Ighodalo, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, Aluko & Oyebode, Aelex, Olaniwun Ajayi, G. Elias & Co. Ghanaian firms included: Oxford & Beaumont, Bentsi-Enchill Letsa & Ankomah, and AB & David Law.

The CC initiative was launched after the firm hosted 60 law firms from Africa at a two-day event in July. CC held the event, put on for the first time, in a bid to strengthen existing ties with firms, improve working practices and develop knowledge sharing and management processes as well as exchange insights on current legal topics.

CC opened its first African office in Morocco in 2011 and has said it wants to strengthen its presence in other important regional hubs such as Nigeria and South Africa.