Allen & Overy may be known for its banking prowess, but the firm has set its sights on another area of growth – its institutional investor clientele. The group, co-steered by partner MaameYaa Kwafo-Akoto, advises some of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world and supports clients on their investments, anti-money laundering rules and sanctions know-how. An increasingly active area for Kwafo-Akoto over the past year has been investments into African energy projects. Two important deals over 2023 saw her advise Nigeria’s sovereign wealth fund on its launch of CarbonVista, a joint venture with Vitol to invest in carbon avoidance and removals projects. She also worked with the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia on a similar deal to support green hydrogen initiatives.
As more African nations consider how ESG projects such as these can benefit the economy and community, Kwafo-Akoto will no doubt be on call again given her past experience in this area. Alongside the deal work, Kwafo-Akoto has also been an influential voice for change within A&O and across the investor community. Setting up the firm’s Black Lawyers Affinity Group in 2019 and, more recently, an Institutional Investor Forum, Kwafo-Akoto has been striving hard to empower and support the people she works with.