Dentons has opened a new office in Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo, extending its legal presence into the center of the Congolese Copperbelt. The move places the firm closer to clients operating around major copper and cobalt projects and the transport routes that connect the city to regional markets.
The expansion follows Dentons’ 2025 launch in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mohamed Zaanouni, CEO of Dentons’ Africa Region, said: "Our decision to establish a presence in Kolwezi reflects both the importance of the city to the global economy and our commitment to being closer to our clients’ operations. Kolwezi sits at the center of some of the world’s most significant mining, infrastructure and energy transition projects. By expanding our footprint there, we strengthen our ability to deliver sophisticated legal advice to clients navigating increasingly complex opportunities and challenges across the region."
Kolwezi at the Copperbelt center
Kolwezi is in Lualaba province and sits at the center of the Congolese Copperbelt. Dentons described the city as a logistics gateway linking the Democratic Republic of Congo to Angola, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, and Mozambique through corridors connected to Lobito Port and the Port of Dar es Salaam. For clients moving capital, equipment, or output across borders, that location changes where legal support needs to sit.
Dentons said the office will help the firm work more closely with clients involved in mining, infrastructure, energy transition, logistics, investment, and industrial activity across the region. Dentons in the Democratic Republic of Congo also advises on mining, project development, energy, banking and finance, corporate and M&A, infrastructure, employment, tax, and dispute resolution, giving the Kolwezi office a defined remit rather than a general local outpost.
Pathy Liongo on client work
Pathy Liongo, Managing Partner of Dentons in DRC, said: "Being present in Kolwezi enables us to work even more closely with our clients at the heart of the DRC’s mining and industrial activity. Whether supporting major investments, financing transactions, regulatory matters, infrastructure development or dispute resolution, our team is well positioned to help clients seize opportunities and manage risk in this dynamic market."
The practical question now is scale. Dentons has not said how large the Kolwezi office is, how many people will work there, or which files will arrive first. What the firm has put on the record is the function: a legal base in Kolwezi for clients whose business depends on mining, logistics, and cross-border trade in one of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s most important commercial corridors.
