Adesegun Akin-Olugbade joins Clifford Chance, one of the largest law firms in the world

In a statement made available to Business Insider SSA by Pulse on Monday, Clifford Chance said Adesegun will work closely together with other members of the firm's Africa Practice, which is led by Regional Managing Partner, Anthony Giustini, to help grow our successful African business, by leveraging off his exceptional legal expertise and network across Africa.

“Africa is a strategic market for Clifford Chance as many of our clients are making significant investments in the region, focusing on key sectors including oil & gas, infrastructure, energy (conventional and renewable), PE, funds manufacturing and technology.

“With efforts to bring the African Continental Free Trade Area into effect, this will create one of the world's largest free trade blocs, creating a single market of 1.2 billion people, with a combined GDP of $2.5 trillion. This will be an economic game-changer for the continent and Clifford Chance is ideally placed to support local and multinational corporations and those entrepreneurs who are fuelling Africa's business revolution”, the statement reads.

Anthony Giustini, Regional Managing Partner – Africa at Clifford Chance (Antoine Doyen's archives) Antoine Doyen's archives

Anthony Giustini, Regional Managing Partner – Africa, says: "We are truly excited that Adesegun has decided to join us. He is an outstanding lawyer, with a wealth of experience and has a stellar reputation across and beyond the African continent. We are convinced that he will play an integral role in helping us to further grow our market leading African practice."

Adesegun A. Akin-Olugbade says: "Over the last 30 years I have come to know all leading international law firms working on the African continent very well given that they all worked for the various institutions in which I held senior positions. Clifford Chance stands out as the market leader in Africa and is clearly very committed to the African continent. Its Africa strategy is incredibly well formulated, and the members of the firm's Africa Practice are deeply focused on realising success. It is with great pleasure and excitement that I am joining the firm."

Who is Adesegun Akin-Olugbade?

Akingbade and VP Yemi Osinbajo and AFC official in Abuja (ScanNews Nigeria) import

Dr Adesegun A. Akin-Olugbade is the Founder and Principal Partner of Luwaji Nominees (a partnership firm that provides support on clients' corporate administration). He is a graduate of King's College London and Harvard Law School, in addition to being the Best Overall Student at the Nigerian Law School in 1984.

In 2012, he received the National Honour of Officer of the Order of Niger (OON) by the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He served as an Executive Director, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) until December 2018 and prior to that, he was the General Counsel & Senior Director at African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Whilst at the AfDB he was responsible for helping to establish African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), where he was the Chief Legal Officer.