Induction/Training of the Members of the ERCA Council on ECOWAS legal Instruments

The ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority (ERCA) organised an induction/training session from 24th to 26th February 2024 at its headquarters in Banjul, The Gambia, for the members of its Council and the Judges of the Community Court of Justice, both bodies being involved in decision-making regarding the enforcement of ECOWAS competition rules.

The meeting was attended by the Honourable Judges Ricardo Claudio Monteiro Gonçalves and Mohamed Sengu Koroma, respectively President and Vice-President of the Community Court of Justice (CCJ), the members of the ERCA Council, and staff members of ERCA and the CCJ.

The session covered: (i) presentations on the institutions and specialised agencies of ECOWAS, the various legal instruments of ECOWAS, and the functioning of the Commission; (ii) the mandate, composition, responsibilities, and procedures of the CCJ; (iii) the main decisions, policies, programmes, and instruments of the Regional Integration Agenda, and (iv) the rules and procedures related to the implementation of the community competition framework. It provided an opportunity to share knowledge and best practices in the enforcement of competition rules, in connection with existing competition regimes in the world and Africa, to facilitate the effective application of ERCA’s legal competition instruments.

At the end of the session, the distinguished participants paid a courtesy call to the Minister of Trade, Industry, regional Integration and Employment as well as to the Minister of Justice of the republic of The Gambia. This visit was an occasion to discuss about matters relating to cooperation between ECOWAS institutions and member States, in particular national ownership of community rules and enforcement of ERCA and the Court decision in member States.