The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) on Wednesday urged member states to harmonize their competition laws to promote regional integration.
George Lipimile, chief executive officer of the COMESA Competition Commission, told a virtual meeting that there should be increased efforts to invest in capacity-building and advocacy activities to develop and strengthen national and regional enforcement regimes.
“Regional integration efforts are likely to be enhanced if there is increased coordination and cooperation between national and regional competition authorities,” Lipimile told a webinar organized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
The seminar’s theme was “Key Competition and Consumer Protection Priorities for Regional Integration in Africa.”
Unlike national competition authorities whose jurisdiction is limited by national boundaries, COMESA Competition Commission has the powers to investigate cases with a cross-border dimension, Lipimile said.
He said some member states have continued to erect national barriers to the free movement of goods, services and people through tariffs and non-tariff measures.
The existence of various regional competition laws and overlapping memberships across regional economic blocs creates a complex regulatory framework for doing business in the area, Lipimile said. Enditem
