The Competition Weeks (CWs) are an interactive 5-day gathering of competition officials from Africa and the EU alongside academics and practitioners.  The CWs represent the main forum of discussion and exchanges on EU Competition Law and Policy between the European Commission Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP) and African national and regional competition authorities in Africa.

The CWs follow different formats – either online or “in-person” – depending on the sanitary situation due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

In terms of content, while the First CW tackles the main aspects of EU competition policy and enforcement; the Second CW might zoom into one or several aspects of the First CW, depending on the participants’ feedback. Nevertheless, in both cases, the programmes entail dynamic live sessions but also workshops and panel discussions in which participants are encouraged to actively participate. EU officials and academics from Africa and the EU lead the different sessions and debates, covering a wide range of topics, such as market definition, cartels, abuse of dominance, state aid control as well as mergers and acquisitions.

The agenda of the CWs is tailored to the needs and interests of African partners. Sessions combine theory with practical experience in the form of cases and examples to stimulate discussions. Participants are encouraged to discuss approaches and their own experience in their respective jurisdictions with their counterparts.

All officials from African national and regional competition authorities as well as officials working for the African Union or AfCFTA Secretariat are invited to attend the Competition Weeks. A maximum of 100 participants (for the online CW) and a maximum of 60 participants (for the in-person CW) are accepted.

Sessions are conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation in English/French. Participants are provided with complementary materials in English.