Governing Council and the Management Board of the African Legal Support Facility (from left to right): Christian Fougner, Norway; Abdenor Brahmi, France; Nimatou Dramane, West African Development Bank (BOAD); Holger Grundel, UK; Charles Boamah, AfDB; Stephen Karangizi, Director of the ALSF, Frieda Nicolai, Netherlands; Martine Mabiala, Gabon; Patrick Zimpita, Malawi; Rafique Mahomed, Mozambique; Phillippe Nizeyimana, Belgium.

The Governing Council and the Management Board of the African Legal Support Facility met in Abidjan on May 24 and 25, 2015 on the sidelines of the African Development Bank Annual Meetings to review the Facility's programmatic work and deliberate on considerations for future strategic engagements.

During the "Meeting of the Organs of the African Legal Support Facility and Governing Council", Charles Boamah, Vice-President of Finance at the African Development Bank and Chairperson of the Governing Council, thanked the members for their dedication to the African Legal Support Facility.

In his remarks he said, "Requests from regional member countries that go beyond the scope of the ALSF's mandate is a clear indication that current interventions are filling a gap." He added that this reflects that the Facility has ably assisted governments to negotiate fair and sustainable contracts through its strategic pillars that include the provision of the advisory services, litigation and innovative capacity-building programmes.

The meeting deliberated on financial and institutional matters including the mandate of the Management Board.

The African Legal Support Facility, hosted by the African Development Bank, has been supporting African governments in the negotiation of complex commercial transactions since 2010. The Facility was established to support African governments in their dealings with deep-pocketed international investors who often took the upperhand in negotiations.

The ALSF is an organization dedicated solely to providing legal advice and technical assistance to African countries. To that end, the African Legal Support Facility's long-term goal is to ensure that African governments have the legal capacity to negotiate and conclude equitable and sustainable agreements that deliver maximum economic value to African countries and protect their sovereign rights.