Experience

Radix Legal has a depth of experience in a range of commercial, finance and regulatory matters.  Here we’ve detailed a number of examples of our clients and cases across our core practice areas.

Finance

African Legal Support Facility

Radix Legal and Consulting assisted the African Legal Support Facility on various matters including:

  • Designing and delivering a training programme on international capital markets and finance arrangements for senior government officials in various African countries; and
  • Negotiating and settling the credit terms of a long standing dispute for a client of ALSF.

 

I have known Ms. Elizabeth Uwaifo for over eleven years initially when she was a Partner at Sidley Austin and I was the CEO of the African Legal Support Facility (hosted at the African Development Bank). At the time, Elizabeth was engaged by the Facility to assist with advisory services for several African countries in the Financial Sector. Due to her excellence and professionalism, Elizabeth continued advising the Facility and our clients, when she moved to Fasken Martineau LLP, and as Radix Legal & Consulting which she founded.

Radix Legal arranged a comprehensive and well received debt capital markets training programme for senior government officials. The participants were impressed by her in-depth knowledge and understanding of the international debt capital markets as well as the needs and challenges of the client.

At Radix Legal, Elizabeth also provided advisory services to one of our clients (an African country) to negotiate a major complex debt repayment. which was innovative and resulted in the resolution of a longstanding impasse between that country and some creditors.

Elizabeth has a deep understanding of complex international finance transactions owing to her extensive experience. Elizabeth is also an excellent, reliable and client-friendly lawyer. She is a responsive and pragmatic transactional lawyer with a unique ability to break down complexity.

I support her unreservedly for any role she may be offered in her area of expertise.

Stephen Karangizi, CEO Emeritus of the African Legal Support Facility
https://www.alsf.int/

Leading African development bank

Radix Legal advised the client on various derivatives transactions and provided their legal and other professional staff with training on derivatives, repos, securitisation and other areas.

Elizabeth has a wealth of knowledge in derivatives, repos and structured finance. She has been a key resource in building our knowledge base and executing milestone transactions. She is reliable and responds to the short time frames that our transactions typically demand. Her involvement has been valuable and is appreciated.

General Counsel, leading African development bank

FCMB Bank UK Ltd

We assisted the client in structuring loan facility arrangements secured on real estate properties in the UK as well as providing advice on regulatory issues.

I have been privileged to benefit from Elizabeth Uwaifo’s sterling work by virtue of her firm providing Legal Services to my Bank and specifically my Department of the Bank.

Ever reliable and insightful, Elizabeth has enabled us at various times exceed our customers’ needs in a timely and most professional manner especially in otherwise knotty instances.

Her knowledge of African Markets and her peculiar understanding of deal structuring sets her well above her peers.

It has been an utmost pleasure working with her.

Stella Okuzu, Head, Personal and Business Banking and Head, Marketing, FCMB Bank (UK) Limited

Highland Solutions Limited

We acted for Highland Solutions in its capacity as arranger of a commodity finance arrangement providing finance backed by delivery of commodities.

Highland Solutions Limited has been a client of Radix Legal and Consulting Limited for over 5 years. During the period they have been our legal advisers we have found their work to be of a very high standard and we have greatly benefited from their professionalism and efficiency in dealing with our legal matters. We would certainly not hesitate to recommend them to anybody requiring legal and consulting services.

Musonda H. T Masabo, Managing Director, Highland Solutions Limited, Zambia

Corporate / Commercial

Ndlovu Africa Consulting (Pty) Limited

We have advised Ndlovu Africa on a variety of matters including

  • Advising on the structuring of an investment vehicle
  • Reviewing funding proposals
  • Structure and documentation of an equity investment

Our consulting firm has worked with Radix Legal and Consulting Limited on a number of projects in a broad spectrum of commercial sectors over the past two years. We have come to rely on their expert advice and would not hesitate to refer anybody needing legal and consulting services to Radix.

Bright C. Tembo, Director, Ndlovu Africa Consulting (Pty) Limited, South Africa

 

First Hectares Capital

Our client, First Hectares, has a history of investing across Africa. We assisted them with

  • A review of the laws, regulations and policies in Malawi which facilitate investment in its agricultural value chain including laws governing land tenure, the creation of security interests over land and foreign investment in Malawi
  • Structuring, negotiating and documenting investment contracts

Elizabeth has been my legal counsel for over 10 years commencing while she was a partner at Sidley Austin and Radix Legal have been my lawyers since 2016. Radix Legal has supported us with our operations in Nigeria, Ghana and Malawi. They are knowledgeable, efficient and responsive. They understood our risks and provide solutions. They demonstrated beyond doubt that they cared.

Jon Vandenheuvel, CEO, First Hectares Capital

International Arbitration/ Dispute Resolution

Zhongfu International

Our client was a major investor in a free trade zone in Nigeria. A dispute arose which resulted in the client’s assets being expropriated. Given our understanding of the challenges facing the client, we employed a strategy that involved the following in order (i) appeal to key stakeholders to broker settlement, (ii) litigation in Nigeria and (iii) bilateral investment treaty arbitration. We engaged excellent lawyers in Nigeria and in London. When settlement efforts failed and litigation in Nigeria was frustrated, we succeeded in securing for the client a $68m award in a bilateral investment treaty arbitration.

We got to know Elizabeth Uwaifo through our common friends in the United States who also have long term investment in Africa.

Elizabeth was initially engaged to assist us with the restructuring of our multi-million-dollar investment in Nigeria, a fund raising and strategic approach to IPO. We were happy to find that she quickly understood our business needs and took advantage of her contacts in Nigeria to help us.

Radix Legal became our international counsel as we became involved in a dispute relating to our investment. Elizabeth worked tirelessly and, together with the Nigerian counsel she recommended to us, helped us navigate a very difficult period.

Although we ended up losing the investment in Nigeria, Elizabeth has provided valuable guidance for us to initiate a bilateral investment treaty arbitration which, finally led us to win the case against the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Elizabeth used her experience, legal knowledge and understanding of Nigeria to secure a good result for us. We greatly appreciate her commitment and highly recommend Radix Legal and Elizabeth.

Jason Han, Chairman, Zhongfu International Investments Nigeria

Regulatory and Compliance

Leading African financial markets regulator

We assisted the client with training for its stakeholders on debt capital markets transactions and in identifying suitable strategic partners in specific areas of financial markets regulation.

Elizabeth Uwaifo is a professional colleague I have known for a long time. She has assisted us at the Commission and our stakeholders in building knowledge and capacity for the capital markets. She and her contacts in the UK have facilitated trainings for legislators at the capital markets retreat in 2017 which was well received for the depth of knowledge and simplicity. She also supported us with a facilitator for our last training arranged by our Commission for the judiciary.

She is particularly valuable in sharing her international connections for our benefit.

I am hopeful that our interaction with her and her contacts will enhance our regulation of Fintechs in the capital market. I appreciate her support and highly recommend her.

Legal Director, leading African financial markets regulator

RivExcel Ltd

RivExcel is an international Management Company with a strong presence in Africa, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates (UAE), countries in the Caribbean and elsewhere. They conducted a media campaign and music competition across sub-saharan Africa and we reviewed their documentation to ensure compliance the Global Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). We have also assisted them with shareholder agreements, funding agreements and investor protection contracts.

Radix Legal have given us exceptional service for over 7 years. They have helped us with structuring investment contracts, resolving data protection compliance issues and navigating more than a few debt finance agreements, over the years. They respond promptly to tight deadlines and provide a very unique blend of legal knowledge, international sophistication and understanding of African operational challenges. This has been invaluable in helping us cover our risks. We recommend them highly.

Prince Tonye Princewill, CEO, RivExcel Ltd

Infrastructure

First Global Commerce Solutions Inc.

The client is an infrastructure advisory and investment company that specialises in sourcing solutions for its clients. Radix Legal acted in the following capacity:

  • Advised in respect of a railway project in Nigeria in structuring arrangements among the project contractors, arrangements between the project contractors and the client and arrangements among the funders, project contractors and the client
  • Structuring, negotiating and documentation of a master facilitation agreement between the client and its international partners and suppliers

Elizabeth is highly experienced, energetic and creative. She has been totally committed to our work, often working at short timeframes as our deal required. She has an eagle eye for legal risk and a commercial understanding that helped us to make better decisions. We trust her judgment and highly recommend her.

Bola Adeyinka, CEO

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