By Janine Greenleaf-Walker.
Caption: 2026 Africa Construction Law Annual Award winners – Uganda’s David Kaggwa and Nigeria’s Adeleresimi Philips-Adeleye and Ngo-Martins from Aluko & Oyebode. Kaggwa, Senior Partner, Kaggwa & Kaggwa Associates in Uganda, was the Leading Legal Practitioner winner. Aluko & Oyebode’s Project Pulse Enugu – Onitsha Expressway (RITC Scheme) was named the leading project/initiative. The award was accepted by Philips-Adeleye and Okonmah. Photo by Yolanda van der Stoep.
The Africa Construction Law Annual Gala Dinner and Awards – which celebrate excellence across Africa’s construction and legal ecosystem – took place at a glittering function held yesterday in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The awards recognise individuals, firms and organisations that have demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovation and impact in the delivery of infrastructure and the advancement of construction law across the continent.
The gala dinner and award ceremony forms part of the ACL Conference which returned for its 6th edition. It also marks the first time the two-day convention has taken place in South Africa, having previously taken place in Nigeria and Kenya. The theme for the 2026 Conference was Construction in Transition: Building Africa’s Infrastructure for the Next Era.
The category award winners (and nominees) were:
Rising Star winner – Wambui Githu, Principle Associate, Mohammed Muigai LLP, Kenya.
Also nominated in this category were Abide Raselabe, Senior Associate Bowmans SA (South Africa); Adel Tourbah, Senior Director FTI Consulting (France); Adeleresimi Philips-Adeleye, Senior Associate Aluko & Oyebode (Nigeria) and Jeremy Odor, Legal Counsel NSIA (Nigeria).
Caption: South Africa’s Abide Raselabe, Senior Associate Bowmans South Africa, was nominated in the Rising Star category at the 2026 Africa Construction Law Annual Awards. Photo by Yolanda van der Stoep.
Leading Legal Practitioner winner – David Kaggwa, Senior Partner, Kaggwa & Kaggwa Associates, Uganda.
Also nominated Cephas Caleb, Partner Aluko & Oyebode (Nigeria) and Tosho Suleiman, Deputy General Counsel (NSIA Nigeria).
Leading Expert (non-legal ) winner – Thierry Linares, Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting, France.
Also nominated Daniel Rowe, Managing Director Jackson Rowe (United Kingdom), Gabriel Armanet, Senior Director FTI Consulting (France) and Xavier Rayo, Senior Director FTI Consulting (France).
Leading Project/Initiative – Aluko & Oyebode, Project Pulse Enugu – Onitsha Expressway (RITC Scheme)
Also nominated Anjarwalla & Khanna (Kenya); Banwo & Ighodalo (Nigeria) and Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (Nigeria).
Lifetime Achievement Award – Babatunde Fagbohunlu, SAN Senior Partner, Aluko & Oyebode (Nigeria)
Fagbohunlu specialises in commercial litigation and arbitration. He has litigated on an extensive range of issues, including maritime, intellectual property, telecommunications, taxation, finance and banking, contracts, receiverships and insolvency, commercial law transactions and general litigation both at trial and appellate levels. He has advised clients in numerous industries, including oil and gas, construction and infrastructure, financial services and telecommunications.
He regularly represents Nigerian as well as foreign and multinational clients in ad hoc arbitrations and arbitrations administered by arbitral institutions such as the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce.