Comesa Competition Commission CEO named Patron for competition law training initiative in Uganda

By Julius Businge

Willard Mwemba, the Chief Executive Officer of Comesa Competition Commission (CCC) has been chosen as a patron for Uganda’s Competition Law and Consumer Protection Training initiative set to commence business in June this year.

This announcement was made in Kampala on May 6 at the launch of the initiative attended by government officials, private sector, civil society organizations and the media.  

“Comesa Competition Commission (CCC) and Fidelis Leadership Institute (FLI) are set to start training programs in competition law, international trade, and consumer protection in June this year,” Pheona Wall, the Executive Director for FLI told journalists attending the event.

“We are glad to have the CEO of CCC as our patron,” Wall said. As a patron, Mwemba will have extra work on his table to provide support in terms of finance, guidance and advice, advocacy for the initiative’s mission, attending events, and promoting its activities.

Additionally, he will go the extra mile to offer his reputation and influence to enhance the credibility and visibility of the training initiative.

According to Wall, the training initiative is designed to empower individuals with essential knowledge of competition law to enhance business competitiveness.

This development comes months after President Yoweri Museveni assented to the Competition Act 2023 which is yet to be perationalized due to the lack of relevant regulations and policies.

A team of seasoned professionals and subject matter experts have been assembled to deliver the course content. These are; Hussein Musiho, the principal commercial officer, and Julius Kasirye, the senior commercial officer both from the Ministry of Trade Industry & Cooperatives.

This follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding on March 1 between CCC and FLI to collaborate in conducting training programs as part of the Commission’s mandate to facilitate the exchange of relevant information and expertise about competition and consumer protection policy to stakeholders in the region.

The proposed course modules include; an overview of competition law in Uganda, abuse of dominance, anti-competitive agreements, public and private enforcement of competition law, and merger control.

Sam Watasa, a Board Member of the CCC and Executive Director of the Uganda Consumers Protection Association (UCPA) urged stakeholders to embrace this initiative and promote fair business acumen in Uganda and beyond.