8 April 2010 - Gide Loyrette Nouel has been retained by the African Petroleum Producers' Association (A.P.P.A.) to perform a review and a comparative analysis of the legal and contractual framework of the oil and gas industry in the sixteen A.P.P.A. member states:

French law firm Gide Loyrette Nouel and Canadian law firm Macleod Dixon have been officially retained by the African Petroleum Producers' Association (A.P.P.A.) to perform the review and comparative analysis of the legal and contractual framework governing the oil and gas sector in the sixteen member states of the A.P.P.A. This organisation comprises the main African producer nations (and those with oil and gas reserves): Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Libya, Mauritania, Nigeria, South Africa, and Sudan, i.e. accounting for nearly all of African's current production.

The review is aimed at determining a set of standards, practices and rules covering the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas in Africa and which could be incorporated in a model petroleum agreement.

Led by partner François Krotoff, Gide Loyrette Nouel's Mining, Oil & Gas team working on the review will include in particular Nicolas Bonnefoy in London and Leila Hubeaut and Benoît Brossard in Paris.

The review is also being conducted in association with internationally renowned experts Dr. Pedro Van Meurs and Professor Peter Cameron, the former for his knowledge of economic and fiscal systems for oil and gas, and the latter for his comprehensive knowledge and experience in the field of oil and gas law.