COMESA Consumer Protection Enforcement

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), with 21 member states, is the largest regional economic organization in Africa. Furthermore, COMESA comprises a comparatively far integrated regulatory regime. While the COMESA merger control and antitrust regimes are most widely known, other COMESA regulatory regimes such as the COMESA consumer protection regime has increased in relevance over recent year. With rising cross-border trade, protecting consumers from unfair business practices has emerged as priority. This client briefs looks at the COMESA consumer protection regime and its application.

Consumer protection regulation in COMESA

The COMESA competition regime does not operate under a standalone consumer protection regulation. Instead, consumer protection provisions are embedded within the COMESA Competition Regulations. The regime aims to prevent deceptive practices, ensure product safety, promote fair contract terms, and uphold the right to