Benefits of supranational and one-stop-shop approach to competition regulation in Africa

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Abstract

African countries introduced competition laws to their legal and economic systems as they increasingly move from command to market economies. Over 25 African countries have adopted competition regimes. However, several others are yet to, leading to swathes of unregulated markets (on the spread of competition law in Africa, see Büthe and Kigwiru). This portends risk of under-development and non-attainment of the full economic potentials of the continent, despite its enormous natural, human and economic endowments.

The menace could be remedied by adopting a one-stop-shop approach and establishing a supranational competition regulator for Africa. Proponents touted this approach due to the slow pace of accepting competition ideals and adopting substantive competition law in Africa. The rationale being that countries without adequate resources to support an efficient competition regime could collaborate to adopt a joint competition regulatory approach and thereby benefit from the experience and competence of the supranational authority. Critics, however, oppose the idea because of the challenge in aggregating conflicting national interests due to the lack of uniform economic development in Africa. This blog post offers a critical review of the benefits of a one-stop-shop approach to competition regulation in Africa.
Original languageEnglish
JournalAfronomics Law
Publication statusPublished - 6 Aug 2021

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