Independent Advisory.
Objective Mathematics.
Effen Africa is the jurisdiction-agnostic structuring advisory firm for companies investing in Africa. Seven jurisdictions. Six scoring dimensions. One objective recommendation — powered by the Effen Score Index.
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT
The Problem We Solve
The investment structuring industry has a conflict-of-interest problem. We exist to fix it.
The companies investing in Africa are well advised on tax, well advised on law, and well advised on geology. But the firm that sets up your holding company earns its fees from the jurisdiction it recommends — which means your Mauritius advisor always recommends Mauritius, and your UAE advisor always recommends UAE. Nobody is comparing all of them objectively.
We built Effen Africa to close that gap. We score Mauritius, UAE, Netherlands, South Africa, Morocco, Luxembourg, and Barbados using the Effen Score Index (ESI) — a composite of six weighted dimensions: DTA efficiency, BIT protection, substance cost, political risk, repatriation flexibility, and Pillar Two adjustment. The jurisdiction that scores highest is the one we recommend. If the numbers change, we recommend a different route.
We are not a law firm, not a management company, not a free zone promoter. We are the independent layer that sits above all of them.
OUR APPROACH
Four Principles
Jurisdiction-Agnostic
We score all seven jurisdictions — Mauritius, UAE, Netherlands, South Africa, Morocco, Luxembourg, and Barbados — based on your risk profile and the ESI. Our fee is the same regardless of which route we recommend.
Commercially Aligned
We operate a referral model. When we connect you with a structuring partner, we earn a referral fee from them — not from you. Our revenue depends on recommending the right solution, because the relationship has to last.
Math-Driven
Every recommendation is backed by the ESI — six weighted dimensions with transparent calculations. DTA WHT efficiency (30%), BIT protection (25%), substance cost (15%), political risk (15%), repatriation flexibility (10%), and Pillar Two adjustment (5%). Plus non-weighted flags for AfCFTA BIT risk. We show our work. You see the numbers.
Ongoing, Not One-Off
Treaty networks change. BITs get renegotiated. Pillar Two changes the tax calculus. AfCFTA threatens intra-African BITs. We recalculate the ESI quarterly and recommend adjustments — including switching jurisdictions — when the numbers shift.
How We Earn — and Why It Matters
Most structuring advisors earn management fees from the entities they incorporate. That creates a permanent incentive to recommend their jurisdiction, regardless of whether it is the best fit.
Effen Africa earns a referral fee from whichever structuring partner we recommend. The fee is the same whether we send you to DTOS in Mauritius, a DMCC advisor in Dubai, a Netherlands or Luxembourg service provider, a Morocco CFC partner, or a Barbados advisor. Our only financial incentive is to get the ESI recommendation right.
We earn the same regardless of jurisdiction. That is the structural basis of our objectivity.
OUR NETWORK
Execution Partners Across Seven Jurisdictions
We diagnose using the ESI. Our partners execute. Each partner is a specialist in their jurisdiction — we connect you with the right one based on the numbers.
Mauritius
DTOS LTD
Corporate structuring, tax advisory, GBC incorporation and management. Mining company clients across DRC, Zambia, Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, and 12+ other jurisdictions.
Netherlands / Luxembourg
TO BE CONFIRMED
EU holding structures, SOPARFI management, BIT-route optimisation, participation exemption advisory. European partner selection in progress.
Financial Services
MULTI-MARKET NETWORK
FX specialists, trade finance banks, political risk insurers, and payment platforms across Canada, Australia, UK, EU, and Africa.
UAE (Dubai)
TO BE CONFIRMED
DMCC and DIFC incorporation, commodity licensing, UAE corporate tax advisory. Partner selection in progress.
Morocco CFC / Barbados
TO BE CONFIRMED
Casablanca Finance City incorporation, CARICOM routing, francophone Africa structuring. Emerging market partner selection in progress.
Industry Engagement
MINING SECTOR
Active engagement with mining sector organisations, advisory firms, and conferences across our target markets.
Two-Layer Partner Model: Regional Category Specialists provide deep expertise in their jurisdiction. Country Sales Partners open doors locally. This makes the network scalable without compromising the objectivity of recommendations — because the recommendation is always ours, never the partner's.
FOUNDED BY
Leadership
Sanco
Founder, Effen Africa
Effen Africa was founded by Sanco, an entrepreneur with a background in cross-border investment structuring and political risk analysis across Africa. Sanco identified the structural conflict of interest in the advisory industry — and built Effen Africa to offer the independent, math-based comparison that investors and their advisors were missing.
The Effen Score Index was developed through analysis of BIT and DTA networks across seven structuring jurisdictions, combined with political risk modelling built on 47 African election cycles over 15 years, OECD Pillar Two impact analysis, and AfCFTA Investment Protocol risk assessment.
Want to Work With Us?
Whether you are an investor, mining company, service provider, or potential partner — we would like to hear from you.