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Lilongwe, Malawi | JULIUS BUSINGE | Celebrations to mark 10 years of operation for the COMESA Competition Commission (CCC) have kicked off here in Lilongwe-Malawi as hundreds of delegates from Africa and beyond gather to listen to the achievements recorded so far.
Simplex Chithyola, M.P and Minister of Trade and Industry of Malawi officially opened a day-one workshop at Bingu Wa Mutharika International Convention Centre on behalf of the country’s President, Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, who left the country for the United Kingdom yesterday.
CCC is a watchdog for the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) responsible for ensuring fair trade practices among the 21 member states, including Uganda, are observed.
Chithyola said Malawi government has given land to CCC to construct its headquarters to facilitate its work. He also said the government would continue to back all activities of CCC to create opportunities for the local Malawi people and the entire COMESA economy.
According to figures on the COMESA website, the market bloc has a total population of slightly over 583 million, a Gross Domestic Product of $805 billion, and a global export/import trade in goods worth US$ 324 billion.
Comesa Competition Commission’s 10 years anniversary celebrations underway at Bingu International Centre in Lilongwe.#CCCat10years pic.twitter.com/ivg0raxCoL
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Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, the secretary-general for COMESA said, the creation of CCC was to mitigate risks of unfair business conduct and exploitation of consumers by unscrupulous businesses which engage in strategies to drive out competitors from the market to maximise their profits and to divide the common market, which is inimical to the single market imperative of the COMESA treaty.
She added: “COMESA is one of the regional economic communities with the most advanced trade facilitation and regional integration instruments. Therefore, as we seek even deeper levels of integration at the continental level through the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, COMESA is glad to share the experiences it has gained in the over 40 years of existence.”
At the regional level, Kapwepwe said, COMESA will continue to work tirelessly to deepen the economic integration of member states, a precursor to continental integration as espoused in the Abuja Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community.
Achievements so far
Willard Mwemba, the chief executive officer of CCC said, over the past ten 10 years, the COMESA Competition Commission has increased its efforts in regulating competition and consumer protection within the common market with a major focus on merger control, restrictive business practices, and consumer protection.
Complementing its efforts has been the COMESA Competition Commission’s advocacy and sensitization programmes which have seen the Commission engage a cross-section of stakeholders ranging from Member States’ Governments including National Competition Authorities, the Business Community, Legal Practioners, five international cooperating partners and competition authorities from other jurisdictions, Mwemba explained.
From its inception in 2013, the CCC has investigated slightly over 360 merger cases and the companies involved, derived an aggregate turnover of over US$210 billion in the common market, representing the amount of business generated from the common market.
“It is evident that the commission’s regulatory role can have cost implications on businesses which reinforces the need to be sensitive to the impact of any delays in the Commission’s enforcement efforts,” he said.
With regard to the investigation of restrictive business practices, Mwemba said, the commission has investigated slightly over 40 cases including the “Investigation into Agreements between the Confédération Africaine de Football, Lagardere Sports SAS, Orange SA and TOTAL SA relating to the commercialization of marketing rights for CAF competitions” and as well the investigation into resale price maintenance by The Coca-Cola Company among others.
The commission has also investigated around 44 consumer cases, according to Willard. The other engagements for the 10-year anniversary celebrations will continue tomorrow – May 5.
