Seble Geberegiorgis Baraki and Weynalem Weldesenbet join Addis Ababa-based Tameru Wondm Agegnehu Law Office

Italian firm BonelliErede’s Ethiopian partnership Tameru Wondm Agegnehu Law Office has expanded its Addis Ababa practice with the addition of two new partners.

Commercial and IP partner Seble Geberegiorgis Baraki joins from SGB Law Office, and real estate and disputes partner Weynalem Weldesenbet joins from his own firm, Weynalem Weldesenbet and Associates Law Office, taking Tameru’s headcount to nine.

Tameru Wondm Agegnehu, the Ethiopian firm’s founder, said: “Ethiopia has long been one of Africa’s most promising economies, and even amidst the backdrop of Covid-19 this remains true. However, the virus poses many challenges and as such it is important that we continue to build our abilities to help our clients navigate these challenging times… Seble and Weynalem, with their noteworthy credentials, will increase our ability to handle a wide range of assignments as Ethiopia’s landscape continues to adapt to a new normal.”

Baraki brings with her more than a decade of experience practising corporate, commercial and IP law. She previously spent five years at SGB after spells at Aman Assefa and Associates Law Office and as a legal researcher at the Federal Justice and Legal System Research Institute in Addis Ababa and as a research fellow at Open African Innovation in Cape Town.

Weldensenbet set up his own firm in 2013 having previously served as an assistant judge in the Federal First Instance Court in Addis Ababa for three years. 

Gianpiero Succi, BonelliErede’s partner in charge of developing the firm’s sub-Saharan Africa practice, said: “Ethiopia enjoys a robust and diverse economy, and one that has only gone from strength to strength with the entry into force of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area. Moreover, the fact that Ethiopia will recognise and enforce international arbitral awards will further boost the country’s economy, making it even more appealing to international investors.”

BonelliErede has partner firms in Ethiopia and Egypt, as well as relationships with local firms across Africa from the Maghreb all the way down to South Africa.

Stefano Simontacchi, president of BonelliErede and member of the firm’s Africa Committee, said: “Ethiopia, and the Horn of Africa generally, is an incredibly important market for BonelliErede and our clients. Positive government reforms and the liberalisation of various sectors in recent years fills us with optimism about the future of this market.”