Spotlight on: Edgar Monteiro

Tell us about your career highlights to date?

Having worked as a project finance lawyer for some 15 years now, I have been fortunate to have had a few. To pick just two, the Coral FLNG and the Cabeólica projects come to mind.

The Coral FLNG project finance in Mozambique is certainly one of the most significant of my career. I worked on the project for practically 5 years, from 2013 to 2018. We advised the client from working with the Mozambican government to create a special legal framework for the project (alongside other Rovuma basin projects) to closing a multibillion dollar project financing. At the time it was the largest project finance ever undertaken in Africa.

Another highlight I am proud of is my work on the project finance for the Cabeólica wind farms portfolio in Cape Verde. This project holds a special place in my heart as it is in my father's country. The success of this project was profound, as it generated one-fifth of the nationwide electricity consumption at one point. Being able to contribute to such a significant project in Cape Verde was incredibly fulfilling and a proud moment in my career.

What are you most excited about in 2025 / what are your goals in the coming months?

I am very excited about a great many things. For example, I am working at the moment on a rare earths project in Lusophone Africa that I truly believe can be transformational. I am working on a number of transactions in the EV battery value chain, including a few in Africa. I am working on a first-of-its-kind brownfield infrastructure asset project finance in West Africa. There are so many things going on in the continent!

Talk to us about Lusophone Africa and what you see coming up in 2025 and beyond?

I am glad you ask that question, Lusophone Africa is one of my main focus for work and very close to my heart too. There is a lot going on in all five Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa. They are all different countries, with their own specificities, strengths and challenges. In Mozambique, I expect to see progress on the large LNG developments in the north that can hopefully be a catalyst for a renewed growth stage in the country. In Angola, I think we will continue to see a very dynamic energy sector but also an increasing diversification of the economy, with new investments in agriculture and infrastructure.

Electricity generation and transmission for example are definitely two sectors to watch in Angola. In Cape Verde, the tourism industry is booming, not just in Sal island but also in São Vicente, Santiago and Boavista. Moreover, the country is ripe for investments in the renewables sector, with the recent unbundling of the national utility company and the lowering costs for solar, wind and importantly, battery-storage. The same applies to São Tomé and Príncipe by the way. For island nations, the improvements in renewable generation and BESS can be a game changer. Lastly, Guinea-Bissau I believe is primed for growth in mining, they have a lot of the critical minerals manufacturers are looking for. In all five countries, legal and business reforms are shaping the future as well. An example of this is the upcoming new electricity law in Angola, that is expected to greatly liberalise the sector and open up opportunities for private sector investment.

What is the best and most honest advice ever given to you?

That it is always better to assume that people mean well. A tip I got from an older lawyer that seems to me a win-win, even if sometimes it proves wrong, it allows one to go about life happier.

Who is your dream dinner guest and why?

I think at the moment David Pina, who won for Cape Verde its first Olympic medal while facing some surreal hardships - just a few months before the Paris 2025 Olympics started he had to interrupt his training to go work at a construction site in Portugal just to make ends meet, can you imagine that? To then go to the event and win the first medal for this Nation of half a million people, what an amazing feat!