Sophia Issa

Sophia is a Principal Associate at A&K Tanzania | A&K Tanzania having joined the firm in 2014. Sophia had previously interned at Adept Chambers in 2013. Sophia’s areas of focus are corporate law, employment law, land and conveyancing and intellectual property matters.

2014: Postgraduate Diploma, Law School Tanzania

2011: LL.B, Mzumbe University

April 2023 – Date: Principal Associate, A&K Tanzania

June 2019 – March 2023: Associate, A&K Tanzania

Mar 2019- May 2019: Associate, ATZ Law Chambers             

Sept 2017 – Dec 2017: Secondment, Anjarwalla & Khanna

Mar 2014 – Feb 2016: Junior Associate, ATZ Law Chambers

Sept 2013 – Nov 2013: Intern, Adept Chambers

Jul 2011 – Sept 2011: Intern, Ilala Resident Magistrate’s Court

• Advising Siemens in connection with the relevant immigration and employment law provisions relating to work and residence permits for their foreign employees.
• Acting for Apple in connection with its iTunes service and specifically on making digital contentavailable to its consumers in Tanzania via an online App Store, (free) iBook Store or iTunes Store in order to expand its services to Tanzania, including advising on legal and regulatory requirements and restrictions with respect to the provision.
• Acting for Nokia in connection with an acquisition forming part of a larger restructuring taking place within the Nokia Corporation Group, including providing advise on the transaction and notification to the Fair Competition Commission.
• Acting for a bank, a lender, in connection with a loan facility of USD 30 million to an oil and gas company, including drafting and registering the security documents at the Companies Registry and Land Registry.
• Acting for a mauritian company, the lender, in connection with a loan facility to a Tanzanian entity, including drafting, reviewing and registering the relevant documents at the Companies Registry and Land Registry.
• Acting for the World Bank in connection with its project, “Doing Business 2019 – Registering Property Questionnaire – Tanzania”, including undertaking extensive research on domestic legislation and policy affecting the Real property sector.
• Acting for the World Bank in connection with its project, “Enabling the Business of Agriculture in Tanzania”, including undertaking extensive research on domestic legislation and policy affecting the agricultural sector, with focus also being paid to ancillary factors, highlighting key influencers of market access, agricultural productivity and the agricultural policy environment in Tanzania.
• Acting for CDC Group and Norfund in connection with the acquisition of Songas and Globeleq Tanzania Services with respect to the Songas natural gas power project in Tanzania, including conducting  a detailed  due diligence review.
• Acting for Baker McKenzie in connection with a research for its international project on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), including providing a written review of the legislation governing and regulating the operation of UAVs in Tanzania.
• Acting for UDV Holdings, CRJE Investment (E.A) and Cavendish Africa Mauritius in connection with the registration of trademarks with the Trade/Service Marks Registry in Tanzania.
• Working with Anjarwalla and Khanna in a multi-jurisdictional due diligence for the acquisition of Howard Humphreys (East Africa) by Atkins International, including carrying out the review of Howard Humphreys Tanzania,the Tanzanian entity being acquired in the transaction.
• Acting for different companies in connection with the transfer and acquisition of land by way of securing official grants of rights of occupancy from the Commissioner of Lands at the Ministry of Lands and derivative titles through the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC), including for Unilever Tea Tanzania and Kislev Global Tanzania.
• Acting for Opportunity International UK, a charitable organisation in Tanzania with an aim to assist the efforts to relieve poverty and to promote education, in connection with their incorporation and registration, including advising on the tax matters to be complied with in Tanzania.
• Acting for Anza Entrepreneurs in connection with the new work permits regime under the Non-Citizens (Employment Regulations) Act, 2015 (Non-Citizens Act), including providing strategic advice on entity formation and registration of the same in Tanzania.