Competition authorities across the region are gradually improving their capacity to enforce effectively despite significant resource constraints. 2015 and 2016 have been landmark years in this regard!
Editor’s note: SADC Competition Authorities sign MoU for cooperation on competition issues
Editor's Note: Quarterly Review August 2015
Thando Vilakazi
This quarter has been a busy one for CCRED. In June 2015, CCRED had the opportunity to present our recent research on coordination in regional fertilizer markets at the World Bank and OECD conference on Promoting Effective Competition Policies for Shared Prosperity and Inclusive Growth, in Washington. Several CCRED papers on regional development were presented at the TIPS Annual Forum on Regional Industrialisation and Regional Integration. And, in July, we had the honour of hosting Prof Eleanor Fox from New York University who presented on competition policy and its potential contribution towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Editors Note: Quarterly Review May 2015
Thando Vilakazi
In March, CCRED partnered with the Zimbabwe Competition and Tariff Commission to host the inaugural Annual Competition and Economic Regulation (ACER) week at the magnificent Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. The 5-day programme included a series of applied core and advanced short learning programmes on competition and regulation, and a two-day conference with contributors and participants from regulators, competition authorities, the legal profession and economists from several countries.
Cartel settlements, leniency and penalties in African jurisdictions
Thando Vilakazi
Representatives of competition authorities from various African countries frankly discussed cartel penalties, settlement and leniency programmes at the CCRED Annual Competition and Economic Regulation Week in March 2015 in Zimbabwe. In this discussion, authorities highlighted the challenges of enforcement actions involving complex collusive conduct, the need for deterrent penalties, the lack of local case precedent developed through rigorous contested hearings, and the resource constraints which hamper enforcement actions and deterrence in particular.
Editors Note: Quarterly Review February 2015
Thando Vilakazi
The past year has been an interesting one in terms of developments in the enforcement of competition law in various African countries. Through the Review, we have analysed several of these developments with a view to sharing information and building a knowledge base on key cases and market arrangements that have an effect not only in domestic markets, but regionally as well.