Category: Press

ADNA has advised leading Egyptian hotel operator Pickalbatros Hotels & Resorts on its USD250m financing granted by IFC – International Finance Corporation and Attijariwafa bank.

This facility, IFC’s largest hotel financing in Morocco to date, will support the group’s recent acquisitions of the Sofitel Casablanca Tour Blanche and Mövenpick Hotel Casablanca, finance the upgrade and greening of its hotels in Marrakech and Agadir, and refinance part of its existing debt on longer maturities. The transaction forms part of Pickalbatros’ wider USD 350m investment programme for 2026–2029, supporting the continued expansion of its Moroccan portfolio, now comprising nine hotels and more than 2,700 rooms.

Proud to have supported Pickalbatros on this milestone transaction, alongside Zilla Capital as exclusive financial adviser. Partner Safia Fassi Fihri led the transaction, assisted by associates Salimata SOW and Abdellah BEZZAZ.

ADNA has advised Glencore on the landmark bauxite offtake agreement signed with Nimba Mining Company, a major milestone for Guinea’s Simandou 2040 national development programme.

The agreement marks the beginning of a long-term partnership between one of the world’s leading commodity groups and one of the world’s top bauxite producers. Beyond raw material exports, the cooperation will potentially extend to alumina refining, energy and skills transfer, reflecting Guinea’s broader strategy to build domestic processing capacity, diversify its international partnerships and capture more long-term value from its natural resources.

Congratulations to all involved on this important step for Guinea’s mining sector.

Proud of the ADNA team who made this happen: partner Salimatou Diallo assisted by Boubacar DIAO, Salimata SOW, Mariama Toupe Bah SEGUI TANON and Tamba Adrien Iffono. Linklaters acted as international counsel led by Aymeric Voisin et Toby Grimstone.

ADNA has advised Cantor Capital Group and NEMA Capital on Cross Tower, a Grade A office tower in Casablanca Finance City, the city’s flagship financial district. Rising to 14 floors and offering some 18,000 m² of leasable area, including a ground-floor retail unit and a rooftop restaurant, Cross Tower illustrates the district’s growing attractiveness to leading Moroccan and international businesses.

ADNA’s real estate and construction team supported the project across its lifecycle, from the acquisition of the land and the legal structuring of the project to the drafting and negotiation of construction contracts, architectural and engineering consultancy agreements and facility management arrangements, as well as the leasing of the tower to prominent Moroccan and multinational occupiers. ADNA’s corporate team advised on the corporate structuring of the project.

This mandate showcases ADNA’s ability to assist clients throughout the development lifecycle of large-scale real estate projects, from strategic first steps to day-to-day operations.

Partner Youssef Benamar led the team on the real estate and construction aspects, assisted by associate Laila Harrouni Bouissane. Partner Safia Fassi Fihri led the team on the corporate aspects, assisted by associate Dina Benjelloun.

This strategic transaction strengthens the shipping & logistics leader’s downstream logistics capabilities and expands its footprint across MENA. By integrating Fattal’s existing distribution network and established partnerships with international and local brands, CMA CGM reinforces its end-to-end logistics offering in a fast-evolving regional supply chain landscape.

Partner Foued Bourabiat led the ADNA corporate team, assisted by associates Sarah Rachedi and Naghem Zemrani. Baker McKenzie acted as international counsel.

This is a first in Guinea’s history with nearly 160km of modern asphalt road, plus the 11km Banti–Koubia spur and a bridge over the Bafing River, bringing modern road infrastructure to this high-potential zone for the first time since independence. Beyond the engineering, this is a powerful economic lever: connecting production basins to national and regional markets, cutting transport costs, and giving a direct boost to GDP. It’s also an exemplary model of South-South cooperation between Guinea and Morocco, and of innovative financial engineering with a consortium of leading institutional lenders including Bank Of Africa, Africa Finance Corporation, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait and Bank ABC Islamic, backed by an international guarantee from The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC), a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).

A major signing ceremony took place in Conakry on 22 July 2026, with Guinea’s Minister of Economy, Finance and Budget, Mariama Ciré Sylla, hailing it as a project that will promote regional integration, and Minister of Infrastructure Faciné Sylla highlighting how Guinea is becoming increasingly attractive and competitive for significant infrastructure investments.

Proud of the ADNA team who made this happen: partner Salimatou Diallo, assisted by associates Salimata SOW, Mariama Toupe Bah and Tamba Adrien Iffono. Clifford Chance acted as international counsel.

ADNA has advised Zijin Mining Group, as Ivorian co-counsel alongside Fasken, on its USD 4 billion acquisition of Allied Gold Corporation.

Allied Gold operates several significant gold assets in Côte d’Ivoire, including the Agbaou and Bonikro mines. This landmark transaction will enable Zijin Gold, one of the world’s largest gold mining companies, with operations across nine countries, to further expand its footprint in Africa and potentially become one of the continent’s leading gold producers.

Our team advised on all Ivorian law aspects of the transaction, from the due diligence phase through to the competition clearance process. As an integrated pan-African firm with offices across multiple jurisdictions, ADNA was able to draw on the combined expertise and experience of colleagues in Côte d’Ivoire and across the wider firm.

The ADNA team was led by Partner Sydney DOMORAUD OPERI, assisted by Counsel Boubacar DIAO and Associates André Aurélien ZEREDJI, Sarah Rachedi, Sigismond KONAN, Salimata SOW and SEGUI TANON. Partner Safia Fassi Fihri provided additional support on the competition law and merger control aspects of the transaction.

Congratulations to all the teams involved in this landmark deal.

This transaction reflects the continued dynamism of the Moroccan hospitality market and the strategic evolution of hotel portfolios across the region.

Partners Safia Fassi Fihri and Youssef Benamar led the transaction, assisted by associate Abdellah Bezzaz.

Under this strategic seven-year agreement, Trafigura will act as exclusive offtaker, providing a significant upfront prepayment to support Gabon’s development agenda. The transaction is underpinned by a diversified pool of oil assets, ensuring a resilient production base and strong market confidence.

Our team acted as OHADA counsel and structured finance specialists to the Republic of Gabon, working closely with Cabinet Juridique Biassaly, Gabonese counsel to the State. This transaction highlights our team’s ability to deliver complex, cross-border financings by combining technical legal expertise with deep regional insight and seamless coordination among stakeholders.

This milestone further reinforces Gabon’s role as a key energy supplier to global markets and demonstrates the continued strength of African sovereign-backed structured financing solutions.

Partner Sydney Domoraud led the team assisted by associates Salimata Sow and Segui Tanon.

The combined portfolio now includes the Kiniéro gold mine in Guinea, the Nampala gold mine in Mali and the Tier-1 Bankan gold project, one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in Africa. With a target of more than 400,000 ounces of annual production per year by 2029, this merger the merger marks a significant step forward for the region’s mining sector.

Beyond its scale, the merger is expected to drive meaningful economic impact in Guinea through job creation and enhanced infrastructure and services.

Partner Salimatou Diallo led the team assisted by associates Mariama Toupé Bah and Adrien Iffono.