Innovative legal-tech company Afriwise is helping businesses understand and easily meet their legal and regulatory obligations when operating in, or expanding to, any African country.
Afriwise launched its first-of-its kind online platform earlier this year and has already received international recognition for “genuinely breaking new ground in the delivery of legal services” by winning the Innovation Award at last week’s prestigious African Legal Awards.
The subscription-based platform revolutionises how businesses can access critical legal and business intelligence and find reliable local counsel in African jurisdictions. It does this through the largest collaboration of African lawyers ever undertaken, with nearly 100 of Africa’s leading law firms contributing to the content on the platform.
“By combining technology and the collective knowledge of top local firms, Afriwise provides practical guidance on all key areas of law in selected African jurisdictions, as well as practical tools to cut costs and time spent on understanding local legal and business environments,” said Afriwise founder, Steven De Backer, who has almost 20 years’ experience assisting some of the world’s largest companies with operations, transactions and projects in Africa.
The information is presented in user-friendly Q&A format and is complemented by practical tools to enhance the user experience. The information is kept fully up to date at all times and subscribers benefit from an automatic alert system that informs them when there are actual or proposed changes in law.
De Backer adds that the ability to stay on top of legal and regulatory developments relevant to their operations is a big drawcard for many of the platform’s subscribers, as this is a notoriously difficult challenge in African countries.
Afriwise also boasts the most comprehensive database of vetted local legal experts on the continent, listed per country and area of expertise, who can be briefed directly via the platform.
Afriwise faced stiff competition at the African Legal Awards, which took place in Johannesburg on 6 September. Hosted by LegalWeek and the Corporate Counsel Association of South Africa, the African Legal Awards recognise exceptional achievement within Africa’s legal community. Winners were selected by an independent panel of 26 judges, made up of general counsel and other members of the international legal community.
The Brussels-headquartered company’s innovative solution also recently made Seedtable’s list of 100 Brussels Startups to Watch in 2019.
To find out more about Afriwise, please the company website or contact Steven De Backer on steven.debacker@afriwise.com.
