Set up a company with Confidus Solutions in any African jurisdiction, and we will offer you our highly valued legal expertise. The second-largest continent in the world, Africa covers twenty percent of the Earth's total land area. It is also the second most populous continent, consisting of 53 sovereign countries, a few disputed territories/countries and several dependencies, predominantly of Spain, the United Kingdom, France and Portugal.
As a global entrepreneur, you can count on us to help you find the right corporate structure for your global venture. With legal advice from Confidus Solutions, you’ll save a lot of time and money when setting up a business in Africa. Contact us now to proceed with incorporating your business in Africa.
Company formation procedure As you will have gathered, choosing the right jurisdiction and business type within the framework of a wider corporate structure is not easy, but don’t worry — Confidus Solutions is here to help.
Each of the above-mentioned countries and dependencies has its own systems, and so it would be a difficult and time-consuming task to devise general guidelines for company registration. However, the company registration process is fairly uniform throughout Africa.
Choosing a jurisdiction The location in which you establish your company (commonly known as its legal address) is quite an important decision that should be given careful consideration before you move on to the next step. Confidus Solutions can provide you with extensive advice regarding trading laws, registration procedures and registration fees.
Ask us about due diligence once you have chosen the country in which you wish to establish or expand your business.
Choosing a company name The company name is a key decision when preparing to register a company. In some jurisdictions, foreign nationals are subject to certain restrictions, especially in Arabic-speaking countries. Due diligence can provide you with the answers you need. You should also be aware that some states charge a government processing fee. This process ensures that the name you have selected is not in use by another registered entity.
Company registration Once all the preparation steps are complete, we can move forward with registering the company with the government agency responsible for commercial activity within that country. You will need several essential documents for this, including the company’s articles of association, which lists the name, ownership details, shareholder details and administrative structure of the business entity. The articles of association (a.k.a. articles of incorporation) is a legal document that requires professional legal skill and knowledge to draft. Confidus Solutions’ team of lawyers will help here as well. In some countries, these documents must be reviewed by a notary public.
Tax compliance Does your company provide tangible goods or services? If so, you will need to set up an extensive structure in order to process payments, circulate funds within the corporation and submit annual tax returns to the government. An income tax is usually imposed by the government, and so your company must complete the relevant tax registration process and obtain a tax number, which is required by law. In most countries, registering for a tax number is a free or low-cost process.
Licences and permits Additional licences might be needed if your company is involved in one of a number of specific industries that are regulated and monitored by the state. These might include the wholesale of cacao beans, diamond and gold extraction or financial operations. If this is the case, ask us for advice on the requirements your company will need to meet before your business can operate commercially within a specific country on the African continent. In addition to licences, special permits may be required as well. Many businesses, for example, operate in one of the large number of industries requiring construction site or health permits.