Afriwise

The Platform Built for Africa’s Legal Complexity

If you’ve ever tried tracking competition law across more than five African jurisdictions, you know the headache: outdated PDFs, inconsistent translations, and contradictory summaries. It’s not just inefficient—it’s nearly impossible without local knowledge. As a competition lawyer myself, I’ve spent countless hours cross-checking sources and chasing down updates. So when I discovered Afriwise, I didn’t just pay attention—I exhaled.

Afriwise is a regulatory intelligence platform purpose-built for Africa. But it’s more than a database. By leaning into nuance—through partnerships with over 180 top-tier law firms—it delivers up-to-date frameworks, plain-language guidance, and local legal context in a scalable, searchable platform. It’s legal clarity for a fragmented continent.

Built on Trust, Not Shortcuts

Founded by Steven De Backer, a seasoned cross-border lawyer with decades of on-the-ground experience, Afriwise wasn’t built from scraped PDFs. It was built from trust. From firm-by-firm relationships forged over years of practice, and a deep understanding that in Africa’s legal landscape, context matters more than code.

“When we started, there was nothing to build from,” Steven told us. “No central databases. No consolidated rules. Just scattered laws and lived experience.”

Afriwise worked with law firms directly—not just to collect statutes but to provide structured, explainable legal insight tailored to the way laws are actually applied. Through rigorous editorial standards, Afriwise standardizes this guidance, creating usable comparisons without flattening local nuance.

Pan-African, Never Generic

Afriwise now spans over 40 jurisdictions and 22 areas of law, including competition, employment, ICT, ESG, and AML/CFT. Its standout features—like Pulse, which lets you visually track reforms across countries and sectors, and Obligations Overviews, which distill compliance steps into actionable guidance—aren’t just nice-to-haves. They’re lifelines for in-house teams trying to stay ahead of risk.

And it’s not one-size-fits-all. Legal teams can scale access as needed—from a solo GC exploring Zambia’s consumer laws to a compliance officer managing data privacy across 12 countries.

“Our platform grows with our users,” Steven said. “We prioritize their top risks and phase in features as their regulatory exposure grows.”

Not a Replacement—A Reinforcement

Afriwise doesn’t try to disrupt law firms. It elevates them. With a legal procurement tool that connects users to local counsel and expert contributors, the platform treats legal expertise as a shared asset—not a walled garden.

“We enable smarter collaboration,” Steven said. “You can source law firm support more transparently, benchmark advice, and access verified guidance—all in one place.”

From Reaction to Foresight

The future of African legal tech isn’t just digitizing content. It’s about enabling strategic foresight. By structuring and monitoring regulatory data, Afriwise is already helping companies anticipate change—especially as continental initiatives like AfCFTA begin to reshape how business is done.

Steven put it best:

“The goal isn’t just knowing the law. It’s understanding where the law is going—and being ready for it.”

Afriwise isn’t just a platform. It’s the connective tissue of Africa’s legal ecosystem.