A practical route from first contact to a defensible transaction: know who you are dealing with, identify the right rules, protect the money and keep the evidence.
01 / How to begin
The same due-diligence method is used across Africa; the applicable laws, thresholds, licences and authority checks are country- and transaction-specific.
Describe the buyer, seller, commodity or service, origin, destination, expected amount, delivery route and parties who receive money. Name the contract owner and decision-maker.
Write down what success looks like: verified title, lawful export, correctly measured goods, payment to the agreed beneficiary and recoverable documents.
Obtain business-registration evidence and independently verify it in the relevant registry. Check authority of signatories and map natural-person beneficial owners, control and any politically exposed person (PEP) links.
Screen counterparties, owners, banks and logistics partners against relevant sanctions rules; document source, date, match disposition and reviewer.
Identify the actual country, sector and licences, including mining, commodity export, customs, environment, land, labour, local content, tax and foreign-exchange requirements.
OHADA rules apply only in its member states; UMOA/BCEAO requirements apply according to the entity and activity. Gold trading in Ghana is governed by a dedicated GoldBod regime: never reuse a Mali licence checklist there.
Specify quantity, quality, independent inspection, delivery location, Incoterms® 2020 rule, transfer of risk and title, price adjustments, disputes and termination.
Check the same facts across contract, invoice, purchase order, shipping papers, assay/inspection, customs entry and beneficiary bank details. Preserve revisions and approval evidence.
Verify bank account ownership independently, use contractual milestones, require dual approval for bank-detail changes, and reconcile deposits, invoices, deliveries and final settlement.
Do not pay undocumented intermediaries or facilitation fees. Apply the applicable anti-bribery and sanctions rules of the origin, destination and financing routes.
Record a decision: proceed, proceed with conditions, pause for missing evidence or reject. Give each exception an owner, required evidence and review date.
Keep a secure, client-owned evidence pack with a source register, timestamps, decision rationale, sign-off and exportable records.
02 / KA SANU CLEAR
Prices are in USD for the precisely stated scope. Additional legal opinions, state fees, site visits, translation, laboratory tests, independent audit opinions and travel require prior written quotation. Work begins after the agreed inputs are received.
Know who you are about to deal with.
Identity and authority snapshot; documented red flags; evidence needed before proceeding; next-step decision.
Independent registry and authorised-signatory check; concise screening and document consistency scan.
Each of five documents gets a status and source, plus a signed recommendation.
Request a scoped review →Build an auditable counterparty file.
Counterparty and ownership map; verification register; applicable checks; unresolved items and action owners.
Map beneficial owners; compare official registry, source documents and screening results.
Each included owner and document gets a status, reviewer and evidence reference.
Request a scoped review →Control one commodity transaction before the funds move.
Contract–invoice–shipping consistency matrix; settlement safeguards; deal exception log; decision dossier.
Cross-check contract, invoice, payment beneficiary, shipment and inspection evidence.
Each reviewed document is linked to the transaction register; exceptions and payment controls are recorded.
Request a scoped review →Enter one country with the right legal and operating gates.
Country/sector licensing matrix; local-partner checks; payment and customs route; rights and obligations map; launch gates.
Map licensing authorities and customs/payment route, verify partner mandates and control gates.
Each material licensing gate has a responsible authority, supporting source and action owner.
Request a scoped review →Keep an evidence-backed compliance and reconciliation queue moving.
Monthly managed queue; reviewed records; exception owners; evidence exports; operational dashboard; month-end report.
Operate a supervised monthly case queue with an exception register and senior review.
All ten monthly cases have a recorded status, review and exportable register.
Request a scoped review →Improve strategic contracting, value retention and negotiating options.
Rights/exposure map; revenue-retention options; supplier dependency register; negotiation choices; 90-day control plan.
Trace contractual rights, costs, revenue paths, dependencies and negotiation alternatives.
Each proposed negotiating action is linked to contract evidence, owner and 90-day milestone.
Request a scoped review →03 / STANDARD
04 / EVIDENCE
05 / JURISDICTIONS
African jurisdictions have different company registries, licensing systems, taxes, foreign-exchange rules and sector restrictions. Validate the specific country and commodity before drafting or funding a deal.
06 / EXAMPLE
Illustrative $250,000 commodity purchase: one invoice has different bank details from the signed contract, and a shipping certificate cannot be linked to its issuer. The buyer pauses the $75,000 advance, requests independent confirmation and corrects the evidence trail. The controlled amount is $75,000; it is not a claimed saving or recovery.
Ka Sanu · Mali / Senegal · Trading and services across Africa · 2026-11-01
07 / REFERENCES