MDR Advogados has been awarded the “Deal of the Year – M&A” prize at the IFLR Africa Awards 2026, in connection with the Canal+ / MultiChoice transaction, one of the most significant and complex deals in the media and telecommunications sector in Africa.
The transaction consisted of the acquisition of MultiChoice by Canal+ and was subject to prior notification to competition authorities across multiple African jurisdictions, including Mozambique and Angola. The deal stood out for its scale and the regulatory requirements involved, in a particularly demanding cross-border context.
The Morais Leitão Legal Circle team was led by Pedro Gouveia e Melo, partner at Morais Leitão, together with Tiago Arouca Mendes, Managing Partner at MDR Advogados, and Catarina Levy Osório, Managing Partner at ALC Advogados, with the support of associate Beatriz Lopes da Silva.
This award was received with particular satisfaction by the team involved. Tiago Arouca Mendes stated: “We are very grateful for the trust our clients place in us, particularly in the context of a multi-jurisdictional transaction that requires rigorous work and is usually carried out under significant pressure. We are pleased that the transaction has been recognised as a landmark deal on the African continent and with our direct involvement in ensuring compliance with Mozambican regulatory requirements, working alongside an international team with deep expertise in these matters.”
Pedro Gouveia e Melo also framed this recognition within the work carried out by the international competition team in Mozambique and Angola: “Delighted for this award, which is a recognition of the work done by our International competition team in Mozambique and Angola. The merger between Canal+ and MultiChoice was a complex transaction with implications in jurisdictions across Africa. We were happy to have assisted in the merger control clearances by the competition regulatory authorities of Mozambique and Angola.”
This recognition comes in the context of the seven nominations awarded to Morais Leitão and its international network, Morais Leitão Legal Circle, in this year’s edition of the awards.
Find out more on the IFLR website.