The rapid growth of competition law in Africa
Competition law on the continent is the subject of notable growth. An increasing number of jurisdictions have adopted laws and regulations, established authorities, secured membership to regional antitrust regimes and ramped-up enforcement of suspected violations of prevailing competition laws at both domestic and regional levels.
New competition legislation
Since 2018, domestic competition legislation has been enacted in Angola and Nigeria. In Angola, these legislative developments have been bolstered by the establishment of the Angolan Competition Regulatory Authority, which recently became operational. In Nigeria, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act was signed into law in 2019, establishing the Competition Commission and Competition Tribunal to enforce the legislation.
Madagascar adopted a new law, which modifies certain aspects of its competition laws. This is yet to be published in the official gazette, but also demonstrates an impending change (which is consistent with the general wave of development in relation to competition regimes on the continent).
Amendments to existing legislation
Outside of the introduction of entirely new laws in certain jurisdictions, there have also been significant amendments to existing legislative regimes in a number of countries, including Egypt, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
