Practical guidance on African law
Understand how the law works in practice.
Practical Guidance answers legal and regulatory questions across 30+ African countries — developed with leading law firms in each jurisdiction, and linked to the relevant legislation.
Answers in Q&A format
Start from the question, not a lengthy report.
Compare across countries
The same question, answered side by side.
Multi-country overviews
Structured, current, ready for stakeholders.
Linked to the legislation
Every answer connected to its legal basis.
Ask the firm behind the answer
Clarifications routed to the in-country firm.
Always current
Continuously maintained as the law changes.
The law tells you the rule. Practical Guidance helps you apply it.
Finding the legislation is only the beginning — how a requirement is interpreted, implemented and enforced in practice is what determines your position in each market.
Practical Guidance answers the questions of doing business across African jurisdictions in a clear Q&A format — developed with leading in-country law firms, connected to the underlying legislation, and kept current as the law changes.
From regulatory development to informed action
Select the relevant country, area of law, topic and question.
Read clear, country-specific answers developed and maintained with leading in-country law firms.
View the answers side by side across your African footprint.
Open legislation and source material connected to the guidance.
Ask the relevant firm for clarification through a simple in-platform request, or set up a call with an in-country expert.
Developed with the lawyers who work with the law every day
Local insight, consistently structured
Developed and maintained with leading law firms in each covered jurisdiction, drawing on Afriwise's network of 180+ in-country law firms, under Afriwise editorial supervision — one consistent structure across countries.
The guidance and the law are connected
Request clarification from the firm behind the answer, or find the right in-country specialist through the Expert Network, when written guidance alone isn't enough.
Built for multi-country legal teams
The same questions and structure across jurisdictions, replacing the commissioning and reconciling of separate country reports.
Expertise remains within reach
Request clarification from the firm behind the answer, or find the right in-country specialist through the Expert Network, when written guidance alone isn't enough.
"A treasure trove of trusted legal intelligence. Combining a robust AI platform with human expertise (a network of top local law firms)… our team is relieved from the tedious gathering and double-checking of legal information."
Use external counsel where their expertise adds the most value
Practical Guidance does not replace counsel on complex or matter-specific advice. It gives legal teams a reliable starting point, helps identify the issues that genuinely require specialist input, and lets you approach external counsel with a more precise question.
Continue in Afriwise
The laws and regulations you need across African jurisdictions, in one place.
Ask legal questions in plain language and receive grounded answers with sources.
Find and contact the right in-country legal expert, or request proposals when a matter needs counsel.
Understand the law across Africa — and how it works in practice
Give your legal and compliance teams a current, comparable starting point across the African jurisdictions in which your organisation operates.
Frequently asked questions
What is Afriwise Practical Guidance?
Country-specific answers to practical legal and regulatory questions across African jurisdictions, taking into account not just the text of the law but also local practice and interpretation. Developed and maintained with leading law firms in each covered jurisdiction, presented in Q&A format and linked to the relevant legislation.
Who develops the guidance?
It is developed and maintained with leading law firms in each covered jurisdiction, under Afriwise's editorial supervision. Afriwise provides the common structure and platform that allow answers to be reviewed and compared across countries.
Which countries are covered?
Practical Guidance is available across more than 30 African countries. The subjects and depth available vary by jurisdiction; the Afriwise Coverage page provides the current country-by-country position.
Which areas of law are included?
Corporate and commercial law, competition, employment and labour, dispute resolution, ICT and data protection, environmental, exchange control, lending and security, investment and market-entry, anti-money laundering, and commercial crime (including anti-bribery, corruption and fraud). Coverage varies by country — the Afriwise Coverage page shows what is available in each jurisdiction.
Can I compare legal requirements across countries?
Yes. Compare answers to the same question across selected jurisdictions and bring them together into a structured multi-country overview.
Is the guidance linked to the legislation?
Yes. Where the relevant source material is available in Afriwise, the guidance is connected to the legislation underlying the answer.
How is the guidance kept up to date?
Afriwise's editorial team maintains the guidance with the law firms behind the content and updates it to reflect relevant legal and regulatory developments. The update process and coverage depend on the jurisdiction and topic.
Can I ask a follow-up question?
Yes. Users can request clarification where a published answer requires additional context. The request is routed to the relevant firm in an anonymised manner.
Does Practical Guidance constitute legal advice?
Practical Guidance provides general legal and regulatory information. It does not replace legal advice based on the facts of a specific matter.