Specialists in competition and consumer protection from different ECOWAS countries have been in the conclave since Monday 10th June 2024, in Lomé for training focused on case management in consumer protection. Among the participants were the Senior Permanent Secretary of Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Trade, Mr Al-Hassan Kondeh, and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Consumer Protection Commission (NCPC), Mr Lawrence Landi Bassie, who shared their experience on the consumer space and briefed the gathering on progress made so far in the development of a Competition Bill to address issues of monopoly in the country.
Indeed, Sierra Leone and Togo, like other countries in the sub-region, suffer from the horrors of acts of contraband, fraudulent imports and illicit trade, which generally are vectors of products unfit for consumption, thus creating public health problems in the population.
These forms of illegal activities constitute obstacles to competition and even to consumer protection and economic growth. In a word, they constitute a threat to the very viability of States.
“This is why ECOWAS has the imperative duty to provide adequate responses to these challenges. The organization of this training responds to a double imperative; that of strengthening the skills of the actors responsible for ensuring consumer protection, and promoting cooperation between all structures responsible for competition within our community space”, declares Barros Bacar Banjai, Resident Representative of ECOWAS in Togo.
According to him, this training session on consumer protection for relevant stakeholders in Member States, therefore, has particular significance, because it comes after the adoption of the consumer protection directive in July 2023.
This directive aims to establish a regional framework for consumer protection by the best international standards, in particular, the United Nations guidelines for consumer protection.
Adopted during the Conference of ECOWAS Heads of State and Governments in July 2023, it provides that the ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority (ERCA) by its mandate, collaborates with the bodies responsible for the protection of consumers in Member States to educate and raise awareness of their rights and obligations, by international guiding principles and best practices in consumer protection.
“The main objective of this meeting is to strengthen the knowledge of relevant stakeholders in Member States on consumer protection issues, by combining aspects of theoretical foundations and practical cases. It is part of a positive dynamic through the capacity building of national actors concerned with community legislation on protection”, Barros Bacar Banjai specified.
Specifically, the training will address topics relating to the ECOWAS directive on consumer protection and expectations; handling consumer protection cases; consumer protection organizations and their role; to political advocacy.
It will also enable consumer education and empowerment; the handling of cross-border consumer protection issues and the importance of competition policy for consumers.
The Lomé workshop will not only be an opportunity to share knowledge and experiences but also a platform to forge lasting and fruitful connections between stakeholders from Member States in the region on issues related to consumer protection.
