CFTC launches Competition Law Lecture Series
A well informed society is key to achieving a culture of fair competition and consumer protection in the economy, the Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) has said.
CFTC Executive Director Charlotte Wezi Malonda said this when she delivered an inaugural lecture on antitrust law (otherwise known as competition law) to law students at Malawi’s biggest University campus – Chancellor College in Zomba.
The lecture series is part of CFTC’s wider advocacy and education programme which seeks to create mass awareness about the Competition and Fair Trading Act, promote voluntary compliance with the Act among the business community and empower consumers to report unfair trading practices.
Speaking during the lecture, Malonda said there is a positive correlation between fair competition and productivity in the economy.
Malonda said:
“Competition policy plays a pivotal role in the promotion of economic efficiency, growth and consumer welfare. As competition is a convergence of law and economics, it is important that we do not undermine the importance of educating law students in this dynamic and crucial area of anti-trust law”.
Speaking on behalf of the Law School, Course Coordinator for Commercial Law Dr Ngeyi Kanyongolo commended CFTC for introducing lectures on competition law. Kanyongolo appealed to participants to consider undertaking research on competition law to broaden their understanding as well as contribute to available literature.
The lecture series will soon be rolled out to other public and private universities – Mzuzu University, The Polytechnic, Catholic University, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Blantyre International University among others.
Notes for Editors
- CFTC was established, under Section 4 of the Competition and Fair Trading Act, as an autonomous agency of the Government mandated to regulate, monitor, control and prevent acts or behaviours which are likely to adversely affect competition and fair trading in Malawi.
- The lecture series is part of a concerted drive to create a competition and consumer protection culture in the Malawian society.