Vance Center Co-Hosts Bar Association Events

(Photo Credit: Adaobi Egboka)

African Affairs

The Vance Center co-hosted an eventwith the African Affairs Committee entitled “Chinese Energy and Infrastructure Projects in Emerging Markets: Examining Trends in Africa”. Leading it off, the Vance Center’s Power Africa Legal Fellows described Chinese investments in Nigeria and Kenya, including their impact on economic development in energy and infrastructure.

Ejemen Ofoman, a Nigerian fellow at Orrick, provided an overview of the nature and scale of Chinese foreign direct investment and trade in Nigeria, based on her experience representing government entities and Chinese investors/ lenders in Nigeria’s energy and infrastructure markets. She provided case studies to highlight the transactional and financing structures used by Chinese entities in projects in Nigeria.

Belinda Ongonga, a Kenyan fellow at Freshfields, described the China Road and Bridge Company’s investment in constructing the Standard Gauge Railway to connect Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan to the port of Mombasa.

Lotanna Nwodo, a Nigerian fellow at Sullivan & Cromwell, then joined a panel discussion with Alex Hao, a partner at JunHe, Jian Wu, an international lawyer at Kobre & Kim, and Chinwe Esimai, Managing Director-Chief Anti-Bribery & Corruption Officer at Citi.  It focused on the benefits of, and challenges from, Chinese investment activity in Africa. The panelists also discussed government initiatives in such cross bounder transactions, including anti-corruption compliance initiatives and China’s capital control measures.

International Environment

The Vance Center co-hosted, with the International Environmental Law Committee, the annual International Environmental Year in Review. Panelists Katrina Fisher Kuh, Antonio A. Oposa Jr., Kenneth Rivlin, Lisa Sachs, and Satya S. Tripathi discussed a range of hot topics in international environmental law, including climate litigation, the right to a healthy environment, the Global Pact, and the state of compliance with the Paris Agreement, investment and trade, and environmental challenges facing corporations around the globe.