Home
Olufemi Gabriel

Gabriel Olufemi

Partner

Gabriel Olufemi

Partner

Doha

D+974 4459 8965

Local time

Gabriel Olufemi is a partner in the Dentons Middle East Construction and Dispute Resolution practice. He has been working in the Middle East since 2014 and has more than 15 years of experience working on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious construction and engineering matters.

Specializing in construction and engineering law, Gabriel has extensive experience providing legal advice on high-value complex projects for the public and private sector in the Middle East with a particular focus on Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Oman. These have included stadia/sport facilities, real estate developments, road, airport, rail, and other infrastructure and construction projects.

He advises clients during all stages of the project lifecycle from design to financial close, including providing advice on project structure, procurement strategy, contract strategy, operation and maintenance, dispute avoidance and international arbitration.

Experience

Global sports and events: Advising procuring authorities on contracts for the design, build and operation of stadia, venues, facilities and associated infrastructure for the London 2012 Olympics, Dubai Expo 2020 and Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Real estate development: Advising major real estate developers and operators on template suite of contracts (including development agreements, construction contracts, consultancy agreements, framework agreements and O&M contracts) for the procurement and delivery of development projects in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE. The sectors include residential, commercial, retail, school, university, office, hospitality, hospital, warehouse, industrial, logistics, free zones and special economic cities.
Energy and process engineering: Advising procuring authorities on procurement strategies and contracts for the delivery of oil and gas (e.g. refineries and LNG expansion), power (e.g. solar, load and dispatch center and major electrical equipment), manufacturing plants (e.g. low carbon steel and food), mining (e.g. gold and copper), and sewage treatment and desalination plants in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Oman.
Transport infrastructure: Advising procuring authorities and contractors on procurement strategies and contracts for the delivery or expansion of rail, metro, airports (e.g., hangars, runways and baggage handling systems) and other transport infrastructure in Qatar and UAE.
Export finance: Advising contractors/exporters on procurement strategies and contracts for ECA-funded projects in Africa and Middle East. The projects include roads, bridges, hospitals, water, power and commercial real estate developments.

Recognition

In the Media

Quoted, "QICCA rules update for 2025," Commercial Dispute Resolution (CDR) Magazine by Global Legal Group, February 5, 2025
"Dentons enhances construction and engineering expertise in Qatar," December 18, 2024
"Dentons advises on Abu Dhabi Government Construction Contract," August 9, 2024

Insights

"Key Changes to the QICCA Rules," April 10, 2025
"Dentons Middle East Sports Series - What to consider when kicking off a World Cup project," March 18, 2025
"Qatarisation Law No. 12/2024: Navigating the new regime in the construction sector," November 20, 2024
"The Legal 500: Construction Country Comparative Guide 2024 - Saudi Arabia Chapter," May 15, 2024
"Notices and Time Bar: key considerations from Panther v. MESC," June 15, 2023
"Qatar's plans for renewable energy," May 10, 2023
"New changes to the Qatar Financial Centre Data Protection Regulations," April 5, 2022
"Drafting an effective arbitration agreement in Qatar," March 21, 2022
"Bidding for Qatar PPP projects under new PPP law," November 11, 2020
"Effect of COVID-19 on arbitrations in Qatar," June 2, 2020

"Bidding for Qatar PPP projects under new PPP law," November 11, 2020

"Effect of COVID-19 on arbitrations in Qatar," June 2, 2020

Activities and Affiliations

Presentations

Panellist, "Riyadh International Disputes Week 2025 - Constructing Hospitality and Giga Projects in Saudi Arabia – Managing Risks and Navigating Delays," February 25, 2025
Panellist, "Riyadh International Disputes Week 2024 - Lessons Learnt from the Delivery of Mega-Projects in the Gulf and how to prevent and resolve Joint Venture fallouts," March 5, 2024
Co-presenter, "Best Practice in Construction Procurement" Series, Ashghal and Constructing Excellence, (Qatar, January - February 2020)