Press Releases
COMMEMORATION OF WORLD COMPETITION DAY 2018
On 5th December 2018, the Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) will lead Malawian consumers, enterprises, institutions and the general public in commemorating this year’s World Competition Day (WCD).
World Competition Day is an annual occasion for advocacy and awareness on the benefits of competition in the economy.
The commemoration of this day was carefully chosen to coincide with the day 5th December, 1980 when the United Nations adopted the international standard for competition laws called the Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices.
Malawi has been commemorating this day since 2014 under diverse themes. This year, the commemoration will be held under the theme: "Innovation and Competition in the Malawi Economy".
The main event will be a Consumer Parade to be held from Fairway PUMA Filling Station to Gynkhana Club via the main Market in Zomba on Wednesday 5th December 2018 starting from 0900hrs. Other activities will include drama, music, poetry, traditional dances and speeches.
The commemoration of this year’s event will offer a forum to deliberate upon the contemporary competition law challenges faced by the innovation-led economy. The Commission anticipates that the World Competition Day commemoration will result in awareness generation on the need for competition reforms in markets; and will garner stakeholder and public support for the same.
It will also provide a platform to allow meaningful and focused debate by stakeholders. Ultimately, the commemoration will contribute to deepening the competition culture in the different sectors of the economy.
The Guest of Honour at this function will be the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism Hon Francis Kasaila MP.
The Commission, therefore, cordially invites all traders, consumers, sector regulators, Government ministries, departments and agencies, NGOs and the general public to participate in the celebration for this important day.
For more information, contact Mrs Angella Mhone on 01 759 506/7 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Charlotte Wezi Malonda
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CFTC HOSTS SUDAN COMPETITION COUNCIL
CFTC staff members phose for a group photo with delegates from the Sudan Competition and Antitrust Council
The Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) will this week host a four-member delegation from the Sudan Competition and Antitrust Council on a week long study to Malawi.
It is expected that the study tour will enhance the operational capacity of the Sudan Competition and Antitrust Council to effectively enforce the national and regional competition laws.
Apart from interacting with staff of the CFTC and COMESA Competition Commission, the visiting delegation will pay a courtesy call on the Secretary for Industry, Trade and Tourism as custodian of competition and consumer protection policy in Malawi. Furthermore, the delegation will participate in a Public Lecture on Competition Law to be held at Salima Technical College on 7th November 2018.
Commenting on the visit, CFTC Executive Director, Charlotte Wezi Malonda said the Commission was greatly honoured to host the Sudanese delegation.
Malonda said:
"The Competition and Fair Trading Commission was identified as one of the most outstanding competition authorities in Africa to run capacity building and exchange programmes with the recently established Sudanese Competition and Antitrust Council. As a relatively young competition authority, the Commission is thrilled by the opportunity to play a part in strengthening the institutional and operating capacity of the Sudanese agency in enforcing competition law at both national and international level".
The delegation is led by Chairman of the Sudan Competition and Antitrust Council, Dr Hassan Abbas Hassan Ibrahim. The Sudan Competition and Antitrust Council was established in 2013.
Contacts for the Press Release
Goldameir Marobe
Tel: +265991000266
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
DECEPTIVE WEIGHTS ON SOME AGRICULTURAL INPUTS
The Competition and Fair Trading Commission has noted with concern that there are some unscrupulous enterprises that are supplying underweight agricultural inputs and edible salt.
This was observed during a recent market inspection by the Commission to verify whether enterprises were voluntarily complying with the provisions of the Competition and Fair Trading Act (CFTA) and Consumer Protection Act (CPA). The inspection was conducted in the following districts: Lilongwe, Dowa, Ntchisi, Nkhotakota, Mulanje, Blantyre, Zomba, Nsanje, Chikwawa, Neno, Mwanza, Karonga, Mzuzu, and NkhataBay.
During the inspection, the Commission found that some enterprises were supplying underweight fertilizer, underweight maize and bean seeds and underweight edible salt. The conduct of making a false declaration as to the weight of any products offered to consumers is a serious offence under the Competition and Fair Trading Act, Cap 48:09 of the Laws of Malawi and Consumer Protection Act, Cap 48:10 of the Laws of Malawi.
Precisely, Section 43(1)(d) of the CFTA makes it an offence for any person to engage in conduct that is likely to mislead the public as to the nature, price, availability, characteristics, suitability for a given purpose, quantity or quality of any products or services.
In view of this, the Commission wishes to appeal to all suppliers of agricultural inputs and other commodities to ensure that they are supplying correct ingredients, measures and weights of the products they are offering. They should also ensure that all weighing scales in their shops are well calibrated by relevant institutions.
Any enterprise found guilty of duping consumers through the supply of underweight products or any other form of misrepresentation will be liable to a fine equivalent to the financial gain generated by the offence and to five years imprisonment.
In the same vein, the Commission would like to appeal to the general public to be vigilant against unscrupulous enterprises and ensure that the weights of the products they are buying are correct.
For more information, contact Mrs Angella Mhone on 01759506 or 0884426905 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
CHARLOTTE WEZI MALONDA (MRS)
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
PROLIFERATION OF DECEPTIVE LOTTERY SCHEMES
The Competition and Fair Trading Commission has received information that some unknown individuals are swindling consumers through lottery scams or bogus lottery schemes.
According to the information, the scammers were sending SMS or phone calls to unsuspecting consumers indicating that they have won a prize and that they have to pay money in order for them to claim their prize.
In other instances, the scammers posed as employees from certain companies advising consumers that they have won items such as iron sheets or bicycles which they could claim upon making some payments. The end result is that the alleged winners have been tricked and lost their money through payment for these nonexistent ‘prizes.’
Consumers are therefore advised to be vigilant and report suspected scammers to relevant authorities such as the Malawi Police, Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority or the Commission. The general rule is that no person can receive a prize for a competition that they did not enter in the first place.
Further, the Commission wishes to remind the general public that it is an offence, under the Competition and Fair Trading Act and Consumer Protection Act, for any person to engage in any fraudulent practices designed to exploit consumers. Any person found offering gifts or prizes with the intention to defraud consumers will be punished in accordance with the Competition and Fair Trading Act and other relevant laws.
Finally, the Commission wishes to appeal to companies, to alert the general public when their company names are being used in any form of fraudulent scams.
For more information, contact Angella Kachipapa Mhone on 01759506/7 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
CHARLOTTE WEZI MALONDA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
DECEPTIVE CONDUCTS IN FUEL SALES
The Competition and Fair Trading Commission has received information alleging that some filling stations are duping motorists on fuel sales through deceptive conduct.
According to the information, some filling station attendants were deliberately manipulating the pumps with a view to discharging less amount of fuel than ordered by motorists. In some cases, the attendants do not reset the pump at zero before discharging fuel to motorists. This amounts to deceptive conduct, which is a clear infringement of the Competition and Fair Trading Act and the Consumer Protection Act.
Section 43(1)(d) of the Competition and Fair Trading Act makes it an offence for any person to engage in conduct that is likely to mislead the public as to the nature, price, availability, characteristics, suitability for a given purpose, quantity or quality of any products or service.
In view of this, the Commission wishes to appeal to all oil marketing companies to ensure that their filling station attendants do not engage in any form of deceptive conduct aimed at duping motorists. They must also ensure that fuel pumps are working properly and well calibrated. Appropriate penalties will be imposed on any filling station found duping consumers.
In the same vein, the Commission would like to appeal to motorists to be vigilant against unscrupulous filling station attendants and ensure that the pumps have been reset to zero before fuel is discharged into their vehicles.
For more information, contact Mr Innocent Helema on 01759506/7 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
CHARLOTTE WEZI MALONDA (MRS)
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
RECENT DECISIONS BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE COMPETITION AND FAIR TRADING COMMISSION
The Board of Commissioners of the Competition and Fair Trading Commission (hereinafter referred to as ''The Commission") held its 53rd Meeting in Lilongwe on 3rd August 2018 to consider and adjudicate over cases relating to unfair trading practices, anti-competitive business conducts and mergers and acquisitions. These cases were brought before the Commission in accordance with Section 8 of the Competition and Fair Trading Act.
In total, the Commission considered and adjudicated over thirty five (35) cases of which twenty three (23) were on alleged unfair trading practices; five were on alleged anti-competitive trade practices while seven were on mergers and acquisitions.
This statement provides a summary of the Commission's determination on some of the cases.
For more information, contact Mr. Lewis Kulisewa on 0999960235 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
CHARLOTTE WEZI MALONDA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SUMMARY OF THE COMMISSION’S DETERMINATION OF THE CASES
CASTEL GROUP MALAWI LTD FINED MK35.416 MILLION FOR SUPPLYING HARMFUL PRODUCTS
The Commission ordered Castel Group Malawi Ltd — to pay a fine of MK35.416 million for supplying the market with products likely to cause harm to consumers.
This followed an investigation which the Commission conducted which established that CASTEL Group Malawi Ltd supplied 36,000 bottles of contaminated and defective SOBO Orange Squash batches number B284, B285, B286, and B287. The Commission concluded that the defective batches of the product failed to comply with prescribed consumer safety standards in violation of section 43 (1) (e) of the Competition and Fair Trading Act which prohibits manufacturers from supplying products which were likely to cause injury to health or physical harm to consumers.
The Commission further concluded that, following the discovery of the defective product, the company did not make timely communication to inform consumers about defect and the steps they needed to take to dispose off the product. That delay further endangered the health of consumers.
In line with Section 51 of the Competition and Fair Trading Act, the Commission imposed a fine amounting to the financial gain generated by the offence to be paid within 30 days. Finally, the Commission ordered Castel Group to develop an appropriate product recall mechanism that prioritises consumer interests.
CASTEL GROUP MALAWI LTD FINED MK500,000.00 FOR SUPPLYING PRODUCTS CONTAINING FOREIGN OBJECTS
The Commission ordered Castel Group Malawi Ltd — to pay a fine of MK0.5 million for supplying the market with products containing foreign objects likely to cause harm to consumers.
This followed an investigation which the Commission conducted which established that CASTEL Group Malawi Ltd supplied three different products containing foreign objects. The affected products were: Cocacola, Sprite and Carlsberg Chill. The presence of the foreign objects on the three complaint products was confirmed by the Malawi Bureau of Standards as well as the manufacturer.
The Commission concluded that the three complaint products failed to comply with prescribed consumer safety standards in violation of section 43 (1) (e) of the Competition and Fair Trading Act which prohibits manufacturers from supplying products which were likely to cause injury to health or physical harm to consumers.
In line with Section 51 of the Competition and Fair Trading Act, the Commission imposed a minimum fine of MK500,000.00 to be paid within 30 days.
PEOPLES TRADING CENTRE FINED MK500,000.00 FOR MISLEADING CONDUCT
The Commission ordered Peoples Trading Centre to pay a fine of MK0.5 million for engaging in misleading conduct with regard to pricing of chickens.
This followed an investigation which the Commission conducted which established that, in December 2017, the price tags on frozen chickens at Peoples Supersave in Lilongwe were different from the prices displayed at the till. The Commission also established that the price differences, which caused consumer harm, were due to negligence.
The Commission concluded that this was a clear infringement of Section 43(1)(d) of the Competition and Fair Trading Act which prohibits traders from engaging in any conduct likely to mislead the public as to the nature, price, availability, characteristics, suitability for a given purpose, quantity or quality of any products or services.
In line with Section 51 of the Competition and Fair Trading Act, the Commission imposed a minimum fine of MK500,000.00 to be paid within 30 days.
ALLEGED UNCONSCIONABLE CONDUCT BY MULTICHOICE MALAWI LTD THROUGH QUOTING IN FOREIGN CURRENCY WITHOUT AUTHORISATION
The Commission adjourned the matter to a later date pending the conclusion of ongoing settlement discussions between the parties.
ACQUISITION OF CROWN POULTRY LTD BY CENTRAL POULTRY (2000) LTD
The Commission authorised the acquisition of Crown Poultry Ltd by Central Poultry Ltd.
This followed an application for the authorisation of the transaction in line with Section 35 of the Competition and Fair Trading Act.
The Commission noted that both companies are involved in the production and supply of poultry products, namely broilers (live and dressed chickens) and table eggs. In addition, Central Poultry was involved in the production and supply of chicken feed and day old chicks. The Commission noted that Crown Poultry was a strong competitor in the Southern Malawi while Central Poultry had market dominance in the Central and Northern Malawi.
The Commission found Crown Poultry was facing financial difficulties. Further the Commission found that the transaction would enhance the market dominance of Central Poultry in the production and supply of table eggs and broilers at national level. This was highlighted by the Small Scale Poultry Association which raised strong objections to the authorisation, citing concerns that Central Poultry was already a dominant player that was crowding out small scale poultry producers through its mobile vans.
However, the Commission observed that the transaction would help save Crown Poultry from collapsing which would have resulted in massive job losses and elimination of a competitor.
After thorough assessment of the information submitted by the parties, the Commission authorised the transaction subject to Central Poultry reviewing its distribution arrangements for live chickens. Other undertakings are as follows:
- That Central Poultry should maintain employment of the existing staff at any of the two entities as a result of the acquisition.
- That Central Poultry enters into a Memorandum of Undertakings with the Commission and commits to a customised compliance programme.
COMMENCEMENT OF INVESTIGATIONS INTO ALLEGED PYRAMID SELLING BY ALLIANCE IN MOTION GLOBAL IN MALAWI
Notice is hereby given to interested stakeholders and the public that the Competition and Fair Trading Commission has commenced investigations against Alliance in Motion Global (AIM Global) and other associated enterprises on allegations of engaging in pyramid selling of goods and services.
This investigation follows information which the Commission received alleging that various individuals and business enterprises operating under the banner of Alliance in Motion Global, are engaged in the conduct of setting up and promoting pyramid selling schemes in the country. Pyramid selling is a fraudulent scheme for the sale or lease of a product whereby one person pays a fee to participate in the scheme and receives the right to receive a fee, commission or other benefit, for simply recruiting members into the scheme.
The Competition and Fair Trading Commission is interested in the matter as it appears to raise serious concerns under the Competition and Fair Trading Act (CFTA) and the Consumer Protection Act (CPA).
It should be noted that commencement of investigation does not presuppose that any of the enterprises under investigation have violated the law. The Commission will, in accordance with Section 8(2) of the Competition and Fair Trading Act, conduct an investigation to determine whether or not the alleged conduct has violated the law. In particular, the purpose of the investigation is to establish the following:
- Whether or not, Alliance in Motion Global is setting up and promoting pyramid schemes in Malawi.
- Whether or not, the alleged pyramid selling of goods and services by Alliance in Motion Global violates the Competition and Fair Trading Act and Consumer Protection Act.
In view of this, the Commission hereby invites all interested stakeholders and the public to submit any information they may have on the pyramid schemes allegedly run by Alliance in Motion Global or associated enterprises. Submissions may include information on the following:
- what type of pyramid schemes are on the market;
- which products (goods or services) are involved in the schemes;
- which individuals/enterprises are involved setting up and promoting pyramid schemes (names, postal address, physical address, phone numbers etc
The submissions can be made using the address below:
The Executive Director, Competition and Fair Trading Commission, Mpikisano House, Behind NBS Bank, Area 4, Private Bag 332, Lilongwe
Telephone: +265 1 759 506/507;
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The information you will make available to the Commission shall be treated with the strictest confidentiality and will only be used for the purpose of this investigation. If you wish to seek further details and/or clarification on any aspect of this investigation, you may get in touch with Mr Augustine Nyirenda on 0999830855 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
CHARLOTTE WEZI MALONDA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
COMMEMMORATION OF THE 2018 WORLD CONSUMER RIGHTS DAY
15th March every year is World Consumer Rights Day. This is the Day that consumer protection agencies advocates for consumer rights such as the right to choose, right to safety, right to be informed, right to redress, right to environmental health and right to consumer education among others.
This year, the Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC), a Government agency mandated to promote competition and protect consumers from unfair trading practices, will lead Malawian in commemorating World Consumer Rights Day under the theme “Consumer Rights in Financial Services”.
The theme is deemed appropriate for Malawi since the country is currently experiencing a boom in financial services such as mobile money transfers, auto teller machines, mobile bill payments, point of sale (POS) transactions and online shopping.
In accessing these services, consumers face a number of challenges. These include: multiple service charges, unrealistically high bank charges, accounts not debited upon undertaking a transaction, clients not receiving the money once transferred, ATMs not dispensing cash but yet deducting from the account, transactions not taking place because of weak networks, lack of agents and infrastructure in rural areas etc.
The Commission will therefore take the commemoration of this year’s World Consumer Rights Day to highlight the rights of financial services consumers and the available redress mechanisms when their consumer rights have been violated.
The main event to commemorate World Consumer Rights Day will be in Mzuzu on 16th March 2018. During the event, activities will include a consumer parade within the City, consumer storming in the major townships - Zorozoro, Luwinga, Chibabvi and Masasa; traditional dances, poetry recitals and music.
Speakers will include the Director of Trade in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism Mrs Christina Chatima and the Executive Director of the Competition and Fair Trading Commission, Mrs Charlotte Wezi Malonda.
For more information, contact Mr Innocent Helema on 0880725075 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Charlotte Wezi Malonda
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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