In a context where the African continent represents a large canvas of different national and regional competition authorities as well as a variety of competition laws and enforcement, the promotion of convergence between African and EU on competition law as well as mutual trust between the respective competition authorities are fundamental requirements for moving cooperation forward.

The African continent has seen strong economic development in recent decades. This has created a need for modern competition laws and well-functioning competition authorities. The aim of the Africa-EU Competition Weeks is to promote cooperation in the field of competition law and policy by bringing African and European policies and enforcement closer together and strengthening ties between the respective competition authorities. The project, itself, consists of two Competition Weeks and one major Competition Conference. The two Competition Weeks will allow  EU and African participants to interact with other competition officials and be able to critically reflect on and compare their national legislations and enforcement practices. Furthermore, these Competition Weeks will promote a better understanding of the key concepts of EU competition law and enforcement policy and the functioning of the European Competition Network (ECN). The Competition Conference aims at allowing effective incorporation of other stakeholders, especially actors from the private sector to the broader discussion on the importance of competition policy and enforcement.

Officials from DG COMP, EU Member States and Africa alongside academics and practitioners have the chance to discuss all areas of competition law, in a mutual exchange of good practices and ideas.

All African countries and organisations active in the field of competition are invited to take part in the events.

The project was initiated by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition (DG COMP), and funded by the European Commission’s service for Foreign Policy Instruments. It runs for two years – from 2021 to 2023.