Bissau hosts a national awareness seminar on competition law and policy in West Africa

Bissau, 21 July 2026 — The ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority (ERCA), in collaboration with the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and the European Union, through the Programme to Support Competition and Safety of Consumer Products (PACoSPro) in Sub-Saharan Africa – West Africa Component (UEMOA/ECOWAS), is organising in Bissau, from 21 to 23 July 2026, a national information and awareness seminar on competition law and policy in West Africa.

This meeting aims to strengthen the dissemination and ownership of competition law and policy among stakeholders from the public and private sectors, as well as civil society, in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau. It forms part of a regional dynamic aimed at promoting a more transparent, fairer and more investment-friendly economic environment conducive to sustainable development.

More specifically, the seminar seeks to enhance understanding of competition-related issues, promote better ownership of Community rules by public and private stakeholders, foster a genuine culture of competition, and improve knowledge of the relevant procedures and competent institutions in this field.

Through this initiative, ERCA, UEMOA and their partners reaffirm their shared determination to support Member States in the effective implementation of competition rules for the benefit of more open markets, more competitive economies and stronger regional integration.

This three-day seminar will therefore help lay the foundations for a better understanding and more effective application of competition law in Guinea-Bissau, while contributing to the deepening of economic governance in West Africa.