Competition Enforcement for Fair-Trade Practices in the AfCFTA Market

Multilateral trade seeks to promote market access and in turn economic growth and improved standards of living of the citizens. This is because they will have access to cheaper and quality goods and services including those produced outside their domestic markets. Similarly, domestic producers and suppliers will be motivated to innovate so as to effectively compete with quality and cheaper imports that will have unrestricted access to domestic markets. However, whereas trade liberalisation through the rules aimed at reducing barriers to trade have had significant impact on national spheres, the same cannot be said of the private spheres. Within the private spheres, private business enterprises through anti-competitive practices have eroded the gains of trade by distorting trade and erecting barriers to trade. The place of competition enforcement within the trading system has been a subject of debate for some time. The establishment of the AfCFTA and the adoption of competition system within the continental trading system have aided impetus to this debate. This chapter largely argues that the AfCFTA through its competition agreement, is a welcome development to the African economy for there exists strong mechanism such as capacity building and strengthening of national competition authorities to ensure that they become building block for regional and then continental integration.