ERCA Assesses the state of Competition Law and Policy in ECOWAS Member States

The ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority is embarking on field visits in the 15 ECOWAS Member States to assess the legal and institutional framework for competition regulation in the region. The ERCA Team is expected to engage and consult with critical stakeholders and experts in the Member states including members of the ERCA Consultative Competition Committee.

The ERCA Team has since November 2019 commenced this assessment mission within the region which includes carrying out a comprehensive assessment of competition enforcement frameworks and competition institutions/departments in ECOWAS in general, in order to understand each institution/department’s legal and regulatory mandate with respect to ERCA’s jurisdiction and explore institutional arrangements for regional anti-cartel enforcement. The assessment visits present the opportunity of conducting research in Member states that have been more active in competition law implementation in order to identify areas of concurrence, complementarity, gaps, contradictions, or conflict that would affect collaboration between ERCA and National Competition Agencies (NCA), and make recommendations for building capacity in States that are yet to establish NCAs.

The assessment visits are expected to lead to a reviewed legal and institutional framework for ERCA and updated competition legislation that meets the current needs of the ECOWAS region.