Ex‑Asafo & Co partner Launches West Africa Law Firm

Daye Kaba, a seasoned natural resources lawyer, has launched Tilan Law Group, a boutique firm based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, aiming to become a leading adviser on mining, M&A and project finance across Francophone West Africa. The firm’s formation was announced on 20 November 2025.

Tilan will handle a broad transactional and regulatory practice covering natural resources and mining, corporate and commercial law, financing, private equity and cross‑border M&A. Its clients will include local and international companies, investment funds and financial institutions, with work spanning joint ventures, investment structuring and regulatory compliance for projects in the region.

Kaba is tri‑qualified—licensed in Côte d’Ivoire and admitted in New York and Ontario—and brings more than 20 years’ experience in Africa’s extractives sector. His career began at Coudert Brothers in Paris in 2000, followed by senior roles at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin in Toronto and McCarthy Tétrault, before joining Asafo & Co in Abidjan in 2022.

Explaining his decision to go independent, Kaba said clients want deep strategic advice delivered locally without the delays and overheads that can accompany large, externally managed African practices. He described Tilan as an agile boutique that combines the discipline and responsiveness of major North American firms with strong local expertise in Abidjan. The firm is already handling notable mandates, including advising Newmont Corporation on its strategic partnership with Canada’s Awalé Resources for the Odienné gold project.

Tilan’s immediate growth plan focuses on recruiting bilingual corporate lawyers with strong drafting and cross‑border experience. The firm will operate with lean teams of senior lawyers performing work typically outsourced to large international firms, and will expand selectively by adding associates and potential partners who share its values. While committed to independence, Tilan intends to collaborate closely with other practices when needed.

Longer term, Kaba aims to build a roster of institutional clients—major investors, lenders and operators active in West Africa—and to play a role in developing legal talent on the continent. The firm plans to train and mentor young African lawyers, giving them exposure to sophisticated transactions and international‑standard execution.

Tilan’s launch follows a recent wave of new Francophone African boutiques: last month Edem Zotchi opened Zotchi Avocats in Lomé, Togo, and earlier this year Ali Boroumand left DWF to start a firm focused on the extractives sector.