COMESA and Fidelis set to train business leaders  

Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | COMESA Competition Commission (CCC) and Fidelis Leadership Institute (FLI) are set to start training programs in competition law, international trade, and consumer protection in June this year, officials said at the launch of the Competition Law & Consumer Protection Training event held in Kampala on May 6.

This development comes months after President Yoweri Museveni assented to the Competition Act 2023 which is yet to be perationalized due to the lack of relevant regulations and policies.

But experts say, as the country awaits full operationalization of the law, the ground has to be prepared.

“Many businesses and innovations are emerging and we are in regional and continental markets that are highly regulated, which means we have to practice fair competition in our economy,” said Pheona Wall, the executive director for Fidelis Leadership Institute.

According to Wall, the training is designed to empower individuals with essential knowledge of competition law to enhance business competitiveness.

A team of seasoned professionals and subject matter experts have been assembled to deliver the course content. These are; Hussein Musiho, the principal commercial officer, and Julius Kasirye, the senior commercial officer both from the Ministry of Trade Industry & Cooperatives.

On March 1 the FLI and the CCC signed a memorandum of understanding to affiliate and collaborate in conducting training programs as part of the Commission’s mandate to facilitate the exchange of relevant information and expertise and develop and disseminate information about competition and consumer protection policy to stakeholders in the region.

The proposed course modules include; an overview of competition law in Uganda, abuse of dominance, anti-competitive agreements, public and private enforcement of competition law, and merger control.

Sam Watasa, a Board member of the CCC and Executive Director of the Uganda Consumers Protection Association (UCPA) said businesses worldwide have to be monitored and supported if they are to grow.

“The conduct of business is driven by the need to make money,” Watasa said. He said some players have to be managed because of the urge to occupy bigger markets which leads to unethical conduct.

He said weak competition regimes result in monopolies which compromise customer satisfaction in the process of accessing goods and using them.

Therefore, Watasa said, the training program, whose patron is Willard Mwemba, CEO of CCC, will create firewalls for emerging consumer and competition issues in Uganda and beyond.

“I would like to urge stakeholders to embrace this initiative,” he said.

At the same event, the East African Competition Network was launched which includes partners like the Institute of Cooperate Governance, The Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI), Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Public Relations Association of Uganda and more.