Tah Ould ZEÏN is a Partner at AvaConseil, one of the largest business law firms in Mauritania and the only practice in the country offering a fully integrated legal and tax service. He is ranked in Band 2 for General Business Law (Mauritania) in Chambers Global, where he is recognised for his long-standing work in the oil and gas sector, advising domestic and international businesses on financings and acquisitions, as well as for his experience across the mining sector.

Operating from the firm’s Nouakchott office, Tah advises operators, investors and lenders on Mauritania’s natural resources and energy regulatory framework, from the Hydrocarbons Code and exploration-production contracts through to licensing, farm-in transactions and the country’s evolving electricity and green hydrogen regimes. He is a Chambers Expert Focus contributor on Mauritanian energy law and, alongside the firm’s other partners, is licensed before the Supreme Court of Mauritania. AvaConseil brings together lawyers trained in major law firms in the European Union and beyond with practitioners holding deep experience of the local market, and maintains cooperation arrangements with internationally renowned firms on cross-border mandates.

Areas of Expertise

• Oil & Gas / Hydrocarbons
• Mining & Natural Resources
• Energy & Electricity Regulation
• Green Hydrogen & Renewable Energy
• Project & Acquisition Finance
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Commercial & Corporate Law
• Regulatory & Government Advisory

Professional Experience

• Partner, AvaConseil (Avaconseil Avocats Associés), Nouakchott
• Licensed before the Supreme Court of Mauritania
• Long-standing practice in the Mauritanian oil and gas sector, advising domestic and international businesses
• Advises on financings and acquisitions in the hydrocarbons sector
• Advises clients on matters across the mining sector
• Counsels operators and investors on licensing, exploration-production contracts and farm-in transactions under the Mauritanian Hydrocarbons Code
• Advises on the electricity regulatory framework, including the liberalisation and renewable energy provisions of the 2022 Code of Electricity
• Advises on the emerging green hydrogen and ammonia regulatory landscape in Mauritania
• Supports cross-border mandates through AvaConseil’s cooperation arrangements with internationally renowned law firms

Education & Qualifications

• Admitted to the Mauritanian Bar Association
• Licensed before the Supreme Court of Mauritania

Notable Matters

• Advises international and domestic businesses on financings and acquisitions in the Mauritanian oil and gas sector.
• Acts for clients on mining sector mandates, including regulatory and transactional matters.
• Counsels operators on the acquisition and transfer of hydrocarbons licences, including farm-in agreements requiring ministerial approval.
• Advises on entry into Mauritania’s liberalised electricity market and on renewable energy production licensing.
• Advises stakeholders on Mauritania’s large-scale green hydrogen and ammonia projects ahead of the adoption of a dedicated Code of Hydrogen.

Publications & Speaking Engagements

• Author, “Mauritania Energy Sector Legal Framework: From Oil and Gas to Green Hydrogen and Other Renewable Energy Sources”, Chambers Expert Focus, published 15 September 2023.
• Contributes thought leadership on the Mauritanian hydrocarbons, electricity and hydrogen regulatory frameworks to international legal publications.
• Commentator on the legal and regulatory implications of Mauritania’s energy transition, including the BP-operated GTA gas project and the country’s green hydrogen agreements.

Professional Memberships

• Mauritanian Bar Association (Ordre National des Avocats de Mauritanie)
• Partner, AvaConseil (Avaconseil Avocats Associés)
• Ranked Individual, Chambers Global — General Business Law, Mauritania (Band 2)