Sudanese Commercial Law Office (SCLO) advises international companies on every aspect of establishing and operating a corporate presence in Sudan — from initial market entry structuring through to ongoing governance, compliance, and corporate transactions.

Foreign companies entering Sudan face a distinctive set of legal and regulatory requirements. The choice of corporate vehicle — whether a branch office, a limited liability company, a joint venture with a Sudanese partner, or a representative office — has significant implications for tax, liability, operational scope, and exit. SCLO advises on the optimal structure for each client's specific circumstances, taking into account the Investment Encouragement Act 2021, sector-specific licensing requirements, and Central Bank foreign currency regulations.

SCLO's corporate practice covers the full scope of what international clients need in Sudan. Company incorporation and registration, including companies with 100% foreign ownership — a structure SCLO has successfully established as a precedent-setting outcome for an international client. Branch office registration and trade licence applications. Joint venture structuring and shareholders agreements. Legal opinions on proposed corporate structures and funding arrangements. Ongoing corporate governance advice including board resolutions, regulatory filings, and compliance reviews. Liquidation and corporate restructuring.

SCLO is also Sudan's leading M&A law firm, named Best Corporate and M&A Law Firm in Sudan at Acquisition International's 2018 Global Excellence Awards. Our M&A track record includes acting as lead Sudanese counsel to Hikma Pharmaceuticals plc on its acquisition of Ellie Pharmaceuticals, one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in Sudan — covering due diligence, regulatory clearance from the National Council for Drugs and Poisons, transfer of over one hundred trademark registrations, and real property title transfer. We have also acted as local counsel to a leading Magic Circle law firm on a major telecommunications sector acquisition in Sudan, covering full legal due diligence, competition law analysis, telecom regulatory clearance, corporate finance, employment, and company law.

Sudan's Competition and Anti-Monopoly Act applies to transactions that affect market concentration in Sudan. SCLO advises on competition law compliance as a standard component of every corporate transaction mandate — a step that international deal teams frequently overlook and that can create material post-closing exposure if missed.

Our founding principal, Wael Abdin, is the author of the Sudan Merger Control chapter in the LexisNexis Merger Control publication — the authoritative international reference for merger control practitioners across jurisdictions.

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