General Counsel in Africa are being asked to wear multiple hats amid rising complexity and persistent gaps in legal infrastructure. They are being asked to balance core legal responsibilities with strategic oversight of risk, compliance, ESG and governance.
These findings come from On the Horizon: A 2025 African GC Perspective, the first survey of in-house legal leaders across Africa. It has been published by the African Corporate and Government Counsel Forum (ACGC) in collaboration with legal intelligence platform Afriwise.
Based on anonymised responses from 129 senior legal professionals across 41 African countries, the report sets a benchmark for the profession. It captures a legal community at the crossroads of complexity and transformation, facing expanding responsibilities and growing expectations, often without the investment or systems required to support them.
More than 80% of respondents said their role now includes formal responsibility for compliance, while many also lead on ethics, ESG and engagement with regulators. Yet over half of those surveyed reported working with annual legal budgets below $150,000, with 48% reporting their teams are understaffed and many operating without dedicated resources to manage legal change. Only 19% reported using tools that provide structured visibility over legal and regulatory obligations across jurisdictions.
“This is a defining moment for the in-house legal function in Africa,” said Cynthia Lareine, Director and Co-Founder of ACGC. “General Counsel are being called on to lead strategic decision-making, shape governance frameworks and advice across the business. But the systems and investment needed to support this expanded role are often still lacking.”
Regulatory fragmentation remains a defining challenge for GCs, with shifting requirements often difficult to monitor in real time. Many GCs operate in jurisdictions where legislation evolves quickly, but access to reliable legal updates is inconsistent. As a result, teams are still reliant on external counsel or informal networks to stay abreast of change.
“General Counsel in Africa are not just managing legal risk – they’re enabling growth, safeguarding reputation and supporting leadership through uncertainty,” said Nankunda Katangaza, Director and Co-Founder of ACGC. “This report is not just a reflection of the current state of in-house counsel, it’s a roadmap for the future. If the profession is to thrive, legal capability must be strengthened through investment in data, systems and people.”
Expert commentary from more than 20 legal professionals adds further context to the data, highlighting the increasing pressure on GCs to align with international standards, particularly in ESG, anti-corruption and data protection, regardless of local regulatory maturity. Others pointed to a growing expectation for legal teams to advise on digital transformation, manage cross border commercial activity, and lead engagement with government and regulators, often in the absence of legal harmonisation.