Slaughter and May has teamed up with a band of African law firms to target disputes work from overseas investors in the continent.

The elite firm has joined forces with firms in 10 jurisdictions to advise companies investing in those markets on managing and mitigating the risks of disputes.

Corporate partner Nigel Boardman, who heads the firm's Africa group, is leading the project alongside litigation partner James Stacey. 

The participating firms are: Armstrongs in Botswana; John W Ffooks & Co in the Republic of Congo and Guinea; Kenya's Anjarwalla & Khanna; Bentsi-Enchill Letsa & Ankomah in Ghana; Morocco's Bennani & Associes; Mozambican firm Fernanda Lopes & Associados; Nigeria's Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie; ADEPT Chambers in Tanzania; and Ugandan firm MMAKS Advocates.

The firms will run several joint seminars and training sessions over the next 18 months.

The scheme is broadly modelled on an existing service run by Slaughters' Asia practice, which has been established for several years and spans a number of practice areas.

Stacey said: "It is very much a client-led move that came out of the positive feedback we received on a similar model we have in Asia. We are seeing increasing investment, particularly in the energy, infrastructure and telecoms industries, that has in turn increased the demand for information regarding options for resolving disputes in different jurisdictions." 

The initiative was launched last week at the firm's annual African symposium held in Botswana. The event, which is in its second year, was attended by firms from 28 African countries.