Practice Areas

We help foreign investors establish and grow in Ethiopia. We advise on choosing between a subsidiary, branch or joint venture, obtain investment permits, business licences and sector approvals, register capital and complete foreign exchange formalities, and guide clients into sectors recently opened to foreign participation, including import, export, wholesale and retail trade, logistics, banking and capital markets. After entry, we support incentives, expatriate staffing and ongoing regulatory compliance.

Capital markets work is central to our practice. We advise issuers on public offerings and ESX listings, register securities with the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority, license collective investment schemes, investment advisers and other market intermediaries, and draft their governance, KYC and AML/CFT frameworks. We also advise banks, insurers, microfinance institutions and payment providers on licensing, regulatory compliance and the opening of the financial sector to foreign investors.

We advise companies and investors on income tax, VAT, excise, withholding tax, customs duties and investment incentives, and on how recent tax reforms affect foreign companies, including permanent establishment risk. We review the tax position of acquisitions, restructurings and financing arrangements, structure transactions to manage tax exposure, and support clients in their dealings with the tax authorities.

We advise on the full life of a company: formation, governance, shareholder agreements, capital increases and restructurings. We act for buyers, sellers and investors on share and asset acquisitions, sales of businesses and private equity and venture capital investments, running due diligence, structuring and documenting the deal, obtaining regulatory and competition approvals, and completing share transfers and registrations.

We register and protect trademarks, patents and copyright with the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Authority and manage portfolios and renewals for local and foreign rights holders. We advise technology companies and startups on licensing, platform terms and fundraising, and help organizations comply with the Personal Data Protection Proclamation No. 1321/2024, from registration with the Ethiopian Communications Authority to privacy notices, data processing agreements and cross-border transfers.

We advise developers, contractors, equipment suppliers and investors across energy, mining and infrastructure projects. Our work covers licensing and permits, project, EPC and supply contracts, the import, temporary import and re-export of equipment, e-mobility and renewable energy ventures, and the disputes that arise during construction and operation.

We help manufacturers, traders and service providers obtain and keep the licences they need and work effectively with the authorities that regulate them. We advise on trade and import-export rules, sector-specific permits, competition and consumer protection, and engagement with ministries, regulators and public bodies, including consultations on new legislation.

We advise employers on employment contracts, workplace policies, disciplinary processes, restructuring and redundancies, and represent them in labour disputes. For foreign staff, we handle work and residence permits and advise on the tax and social security obligations that come with employing expatriates.

We advise international organizations, NGOs, foundations and development programmes on registration with the Authority for Civil Society Organizations, operating and grant agreements, procurement, employment and compliance, and support development finance and technical assistance programmes that work with Ethiopian businesses.

We represent clients before Ethiopian federal and regional courts and in domestic and international arbitration, in commercial, investment, construction, employment and shareholder disputes. We advise on pre-dispute strategy, interim relief and settlement, and on enforcing judgments and arbitral awards, including foreign awards under the New York Convention, which Ethiopia has ratified.

We advise insurers, reinsurers, brokers and international firms on Ethiopian insurance regulation and licensing, whether a product or service amounts to insurance, policy wording, claims and coverage disputes, and cross-border reinsurance and placement arrangements.

We support founders and investors from incorporation, founder and shareholder agreements and employee equity to angel and venture rounds, IP ownership and sector licensing, including through our Startups Legal Clinic.