Lawyers for Economic Development (Lawyers4ED) has expanded its footprint across Africa by launching a new continental platform aimed at linking law, investment and economic development.
Lawyers 4ED said the move would see the creation of African Lawyers for Economic Development (ALED) a body designed to replicate Zimbabwe’s model of legal-economic collaboration across the breadth and length of continent.
Lawyers4ED President Advocate Mellisa Bellbara nee Dinha said the move followed two years of behind-the-scenes structural work and international engagement.
She said Zimbabwe would remain at the centre of the initiative.
“Zimbabwe will remain the anchor and headquarters of our work. What we began here is now inspiring colleagues across the continent who wish to build transparent, law-driven frameworks for Africa’s economic growth,” she said.
Founded in 2022 under the patronage of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, lawyers 4ED has become a prominent professional platform linking legal practice with national development goals.
In his original letter of patronage, the President described its mission as contributing to Zimbabwe’s political, legal and socio-economic transformation.
That founding vision, Advocate Belbara Dinha said now forms the blueprint for ALED’s continental mandate.
She confirmed that President Mnangagwa remains the founding patron of both the Zimbabwean chapter and the new Africa-wide initiative.
Over the past year, lawyers 4ED leadership has stepped up its international engagement, positioning Zimbabwean legal expertise within global investment networks.
At the Annual Investment Meeting Congress 2024 in Abu Dhabi, one of the world’s largest investment promotion platforms, the organisation held talks with a range of institutions including the UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, the Zimbabwe Chamber in Dubai and the country’s Consul General.
The discussions also involved international investors and development organisations exploring partnerships under the proposed African Global Investment Corridor, ALED’s flagship platform intended to channel compliant investment into Africa.
The initiative has attracted interest from global philanthropists and high-net-worth investors including Turkish businessman Tahir Gözel who have voiced support for strengthening Africa’s legal sector as a driver of sustainable growth.
Much of this outreach has been coordinated by the organisation’s director of strategy and innovation, Takunda Mukono who is based in the Gulf region.
Through his work with investment consultancies he has helped expand the organisation’s networks across the Middle East and Africa.
Advocate Dinha has recently split her professional work between Zimbabwe and Cameroon, where she and her husband are now based.
The move has opened new avenues for engagement with legal communities in Central and West Africa.
She said senior lawyers and legal associations in Cameroon had already expressed interest in joining the continental initiative with membership requests also coming from Kenya, Zambia, South Africa and the United Kingdom diaspora.
Formal onboarding is expected to begin later this year once ALED’s continental council is inaugurated.
Earlier this year, Advocate Dinha also attended a global conference for women leaders in Switzerland where she held discussions with African jurists, policymakers and international investors.
“Africa’s transformation must be led by Africans who understand both the law and the economy,” she said.
The organisation said its Zimbabwe chapter would remain fully operational and is set to undergo a leadership refresh aimed at strengthening grassroots participation.
Long-serving members are expected to take up coordinating and provincial roles as part of a national reactivation plan.
“This next chapter is about participation. We invite our members, both in Zimbabwe and abroad, to help shape the future of ALED,” Advocate Dinha said.
The organisation said the continental expansion does not signal a shift away from its original mission but rather an extension of it.
“Our founding patron entrusted us with a mandate to serve Zimbabwe. As we extend this model to Africa, we carry that vision with us and that the law should be an instrument for prosperity, stability and dignity.” she said.
Lawyers for Economic Development is a Zimbabwe-based association of lawyers, scholars and law students focused on advancing policy innovation and pro-investment legal frameworks in support of Vision 2030.
African Lawyers for Economic Development will serve as its continental platform linking African and diaspora legal professionals to promote governance, investment and economic transformation across the continent.
