OREANDA-NEWS. The African Legal Support Facility (ALSF), in partnership with the Government of Benin, is conducting a 10-day capacity-building workshop that is aimed at supporting the government to improve governance in the management of its mining sector. The training will run from January 18-29, 2016 in Dakar, Senegal. 

Attending the workshop are representatives of State Ministries and other institutions involved in the negotiation of mining agreements. 

The participants will analyse existing mining agreements to help them understand obligations of each party. In addition, the training will expose the participants to key issues and elements at stake in a mining contract. 

One of the main reasons why the ALSF was established was the recognition of the skills gap for African states in contract negotiations related to natural resources and other commercial transactions.

Maude Vallee, Principal Legal Counsel of the ALSF, stated that the participatory approach being used to deliver the training is designed to ensure that participants are engaged in the process of learning.

“We are conducting this workshop so that we can equip officials with skills to advise and represent their governments in future negotiations. We want more African experts involved in the negotiation of complex commercial transactions,” she added.

The training workshop is one of the many interventions undertaken under the ALSF’s capacity-building pillar, which seeks to strengthen and enhance the capacity of African government officials in contract negotiations and litigation.

The mining sector represents high growth potential for Benin. The Government intends to develop its mining sector to help catalyse socio-economic and human development.

The ALSF is an international public institution, hosted by the African Development Bank Group. Its mandate is to support African states by providing legal advisory services for vulture fund litigation and negotiating complex commercial transactions.