COMMEMORATION OF WORLD COMPETITION DAY

On 5th December 2019, the Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) will lead Malawian consumers, enterprises, institutions and general public in commemorating this year’s World Competition Day. This year, the commemoration will be under the theme: “The Role of Traders and Business Enterprises in Ensuring Effective Competition on the Market”. The main commemoration event will take place on Thursday, 5^th December, 2019 starting from 08.00 Hrs in Mangochi and will comprise a Competition Parade (from Mount Meru Filling Station to Mangochi Stadium via the main Mangochi market), drama, music, traditional dances and speeches. The Commission expects that the commemoration will result in awareness generation on the need for the competition reforms in markets; and will garner stakeholders and public support for the same. Ultimately, the commemoration will contribute to deepening the competition culture in various markets of our economy. The Commission, therefore, cordially invites all traders, consumers, sectors regulators, Government ministries, departments and agencies, NGO’s and the general public to participate in the commemoration of this important day. The Guest of Honor for the function will be the Secretary for Industry, Trade and Tourism Dr. Ken Ndala. For more information concerning this function, please, contact Bertha Baloyi Kalavina on +265 991 437 959 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Martha Kaukonde

ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

COMMENCEMENT OF INVESTIGATIONS INTO ALLEGED UNCONSCIONABLE CONDUCT BY CROSS-BORDER BUS OPERATORS: INTERCAPE, JOBELLA AND TAQWA BUS COMPANIES CONTRARY TO SECTION 43 OF THE COMPETITION AND FAIR TRADING ACT

TAKE NOTICE that the Competition and Fair Trading Commission has officially commenced investigations against some cross-border bus operators namely Intercape Bus Company, Jobella Star Bus Services and Taqwa Bus services for allegedly engaging in unconscionable conduct in the trade of goods and services.

The investigations have been instituted following complaints the Commission has received from people who accessed passenger and baggage transportation services from the said cross-border bus operators. The complaints are mainly on the following aspects:

1. Customers’ goods getting lost in transit, and the bus company denying liability for the same;
2. Customers’ goods broken or damaged in transit, and the bus company denying liability for the same; and
3. Improper handling of passengers particularly not attending to their physical or health situations during the trips.

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RELOCATION OF CFTC OFFICES

The Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) would like to inform its Clients, Stakeholders and the general public that its offices will move from Mpikisano House in Area 3, Lilongwe on 1^st October, 2019

The new physical address for CFTC is:

1^st Floor – New Golden Peacock Office Complex

City Centre, Lilongwe

The new telephone numbers are:

0310001440 or 0310001441

The Postal and Email addresses remain:

Competitition and Fair Trading Commission,

Private Bag 332,

Lilongwe 3.

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.

Should you have problems getting through to the above contacts or locating CFTC’S new offices, please contact:

Catherine Nsoloma on 0888 868 740 or

Lusungu Sanga on 0882 889 521

The Commision regrets any inconvinience caused due to the relocation.

Dated the 30^th of September, 2019

MARTHA KAUKONDE

ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESULTS

The Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) ran an Essay Writing Competition for Secondary School students in Malawi from 6^th to 26^th June, 2019.The competition gavethe students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge about consumer protection through writing an 800-1000 word essayon the theme “Consumer Rights Issues in the Agricultural Sector”. A total of 126 students entered the competition, and independent literary experts conducted the evaluation of all the entries.

The Commission wishes to announce the winners of the essay competition and their respective awards as follows:

The Commission congratulates all winners, and thanks all students who participated in the competition. The Commission takes this opportunity to encourage members of the general public to continue taking part in its advocacy activities.

Martha Kaukonde

ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT PLACEMENT

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

The Competition and Fair Trading (CFTC) is a Statutory Corporation established to enforce the Competition and Fair Trading Act (CFTA) Chapter 48:09 of the Laws of Malawi. The objective of the Act is to safeguard and encourage competition and fair trading in Malawi. In this regard, the commission is responsible for ensuring that businesses are not engaged in anti-competitive trade practices; and regulating and monitoring monopolies and concentration of market power thereby strengthening efficiency of production and distribution of goods and services, securing the best possible conditions for freedom of trade, safeguarding consumer welfare and setting a favourable operating environment for expansion of the country’s entrepreneurship base.

In order to fulfil its mandate effectively and efficiently with strategic leadership and management, excellent and rare opportunities have arisen to engage qualified persons of Malawian origin to fill Executive Management positions of EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; DIRECTOR OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS; AND DIRECTOR OF COMPETITION tenable at its Head Office in Lilongwe. The CFTC therefore invites applications from suitable candidates to fill these positions on a three (3) year employment contract.

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ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

The Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) is an agency of the Government mandated to regulate competition and protect consumers from unfair trading practices in line with the Competition and Fair Trading Act and Consumer Protection Act.

In light of its mandate to undertake advocacy activities to create awareness on consumer rights, the Commission will run an Essay Writing Competition for Secondary Schools in Malawi from 6^th to 26^th June 2019.

The Essay Writing Competition is open to all students in Government as well as privately owned secondary schools. The competition will give secondary school students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge about consumer protection in the country. This competition is strictly for Secondary School students.

Eligible students are required to write an original essay on the theme “Consumer Rights Issues in the Agricultural Sector”. It is expected that the winning essays will identify key unfair trading practices in the agricultural sector that negatively affect the enjoyment of consumer rights and what action should be taken by relevant agencies to effectively address these issues.The essay should carry between 800 and 1,000 words.

Winners of the Essay Writing Competition will receive the following awards:

1^st Prize: MK75,000 and a branded T/shirt

2^nd Prize: MK50,000 and a branded T/shirt

3^rd Prize: MK25,000 and a brandedT/shirt

Other Prizes: 1 branded T/shirt each to 12 other winners

Interested students should send their essays as hard mail to:The Executive Director, Competition and Fair Trading Commission, Mpikisano House, Plot No. 4/385, Private Bag 332, Lilongwe 3; or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

For more information or clarification, please, contact Mrs. Bertha Kalavinaon 0 991 437 959 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Charlotte Wezi Malonda

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

RECALL OF CONTAMINATED SOYA PIECES PRODUCED BY SEBA FOODS MALAWI LTD

It has come to the Notice of the Competition and Fair Trading Commission that Seba Foods Malawi Limited supplied two batches of contaminated and rotten Golden Goodness Tasty Soya Pieces into the market which were unfit for human consumption. The two batches - 061818A and 061218A - packaged in 90 grammes packets, were produced by the company at their Limbe Plant.

Seba Foods Ltd has confirmed that the product was defective, impure and unfit for human consumption. The impurity, according to the company, was identified as “fungus due to high moisture level in the pack”.

Despite the admission, Seba Foods Malawi Ltd has not taken steps to voluntarily recall the defective products and alert consumers about the harmful effects of the defective product. The failure to communicate with the public about the existence of a defective product on the market is a serious risk to consumers and an infringement of the Competition and Fair Trading Act (CFTA) and Consumer Protection Act (CPA). Section 40(3) of the CPA makes it mandatory for manufacturers who, after the introduction of goods into the market becomes aware of the existence of unforeseen health hazards or risks, to communicate as soon as possible with the relevant authority and inform consumers of the existence of such hazards or risks.

In view of this, the Commission wishes to advise the general public to return any unconsumed packs of Golden Goodness Tasty Soya Pieces bearing these batch numbers to the manufacturer. In the interim, the Commission will proceed to conclude the investigation in line with the law.

For more information, contact Ms Dalitso Chimota on 01759506/07 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CHARLOTTE WEZI MALONDA (MRS)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

MALAWI SUPREME COURT ORDERS AIRTEL MALAWI LTD TO APPLY FOR AUTHORISATION OF THE MERGER BETWEEN BARTI AIRTEL AND ZAIN MALAWI

The Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal has upheld a decision by the Competition and Fair Trading Commission which required Airtel Malawi Ltd to apply to the Commission for authorisation of the acquisition between Barti Airtel Ltd and Zain Malawi.

In January 2013, the Board of the Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) ordered Airtel Malawi Ltd to notify the merger to the Commission for authorisation in line with the Competition and Fair Trading Act (CFTA). However, Airtel Malawi Ltd refused to comply with the order and applied for judicial review, claiming that the acquisition was beyond the jurisdiction and regulatory purview of the CFTC.

Following the decision of the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, Airtel Malawi Ltd is expected to comply with the 2013 order of the Commission within 14 days.

Meanwhile, CFTC Executive Director Charlotte Wezi Malonda says the landmark decision by the Supreme Court will go a long way in providing clarity in the interpretation of certain merger control provisions in the CFTA.

Malonda said,

"Although the appeal case has agonisingly dragged on for the past five years, we are excited that the Commission will now be able to exercise its full regulatory mandate on mergers and acquisitions".

Notes for Editors

According to Section 2 of the CFTA, a merger is the acquisition of controlling interest in any trade involved in the production or distribution of any goods or services. A merger may also be defined as the acquisition of controlling interest in any trade whose business consists wholly or substantially in supplying goods or services to the person who acquires the controlling interest.

Contacts for this Press Release

Innocent Helema     Tel: 01759506; Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.