Linklaters advises Belinga Joint Venture Company Limited on the signing of the Mining Convention for the world-class Belinga iron ore project in Gabon

Linklaters has advised Belinga Joint Venture Company Limited (Belinga JV), a joint venture between Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (FMG) and Africa Transformation and Industrialization Funds (ATIF), on the signing of the Mining Convention with the Gabonese Republic for the Belinga iron ore project (Belinga Project).

The Mining Convention governs all the legal, fiscal and regulatory regimes for the exploration and exploitation of the Belinga Project, including early development for production planned for the second half of calendar 2023, while studies advance potential designs of a large-scale development.

Linklaters’ work on this landmark transaction also included advising Belinga JV on the negotiation and entry into a Shareholders Agreement with the Gabonese Republic in relation to Ivindo Iron SA, the operating entity for the Belinga Project.

The Linklaters team in Paris was led by Energy and Infrastructure partners Bertrand Andriani and Justin C. Faye, counsel Aymeric Voisin and managing associate Nathanaël Caillard with the support of associates Sina Abadie, Raphaël Papon and Abdullah Konate on the mining aspects and counsel Mehdi Boumedine on the corporate aspects of the transaction. Jean-Pierre Bozec (Project Lawyers) also assisted on Gabonese law matters.