The West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) launched on Wednesday 23 October an intraregional workshop on competition in Africa. The workshop, which will end next Friday 25, brings together the competition authorities of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs).

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the East African Community (EAC) are meeting for three days in Abidjan. The objective is to review the major issues related to competition law, in collaboration with experts from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). According to the representative of ECOWAS who expressed that the importance of competition in economic development, the environment of healthy competition is a pillar for strengthening economic integration and allowing African states to prosper with innovative and competitive products. During this meeting, participants define strategies to make competition policy a key lever for industrialization and sustainable economic development in Africa.

Avoiding conflicts of jurisdiction in competition regulations across different African regions is one of the main objectives of this meeting. Also, in order to ensure a harmonious application of the rules throughout the African market, a formal framework for cooperation between CERs will be examined and discussed