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CLG Expands into Libya and Central Africa, Named Official Legal Partner for AEW 2026
Building on Africa’s continental energy momentum, legal firm CLG will attend African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 in Cape Town from 12–16 October as a Legal Partner. The appointment places the firm at the heart of the continent’s premier energy investment platform, connecting policymakers, operators and financiers as they drive the next phase of upstream growth, infrastructure development and the energy transition.
CLG has embraced a “flexibility-first” model to navigate Africa’s energy landscape, accelerating its expansion into Libya, Gabon and Morocco while strengthening its tax and regulatory advisory capabilities across Central and Southern Africa. The firm’s January 2026 strategic collaboration with Zahaf & Partners in Libya marks a decisive move to support the country’s latest licensing round and its production target of 1.6 million barrels per day by year-end.
CLG’s 2026 expansion strategy reflects its growing influence in frontier and high-growth jurisdictions. In Libya, its partnership with Zahaf & Partners strengthens investor confidence as new acreage is opened to international bidders. In Gabon, the firm has expanded its CLG Plus on-demand advisory platform to support major developments, including independent hydrocarbon producer Perenco’s Cap Lopez LNG project, scheduled to come online this year. Meanwhile, new leadership appointments in Casablanca and Dubai reinforce its North African and Middle Eastern connectivity, positioning the firm to facilitate cross-regional capital flows into African energy projects.
The firm remains deeply engaged in regulatory transformation across the continent. In the Republic of Congo, CLG has issued detailed analyses of new 2026 Finance Laws, guiding clients through tax restructuring, environmental levies and revised corporate income frameworks. In Namibia, it is contributing to the development of midstream legal frameworks to support recent offshore discoveries and future export infrastructure.
Looking ahead, CLG forecasts a surge in upstream M&A activity in 2026, driven by licensing rounds in Nigeria, Libya and Angola and a broader trend of supermajors divesting assets to agile African independents. The firm is also closely tracking implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement Digital Trade Protocol, advising clients on cross-border digital transactions and policy alignment.
“Africa’s energy expansion must be underpinned by robust, harmonized legal frameworks that give investors clarity and confidence,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber, adding, “CLG’s role as Legal Partner at AEW 2026 ensures that regulatory innovation, fiscal transparency and cross-border agility remain central to this year’s agenda.”
As Africa’s energy markets evolve through reform, consolidation and transition, CLG’s participation at African Energy Week 2026 underscores the critical role of legal architecture in unlocking sustainable growth across the continent.