Africa-Press – Mauritius. A two-day workshop on capacity building for stakeholders in Mauritius for the implementation and enforcement of competition and consumer protection laws opened, this morning, at Voila Hotel, in Bagatelle.
The workshop is an initiative of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Competition Commission and targets, namely officials of the Ministry of Commerce and Consumer Protection, the Judiciary, and the Bar Association.
The objective of this capacity building is to enhance the understanding of these officials on the application of regional and national competition and consumer protection laws.
The Minister of Commerce and Consumer Protection, Minister of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training, Mr Soodesh Satkam Callichurn; the Chairperson Board of Commissioners of the COMESA Competition Commission, Commissioner Ellen Ruparanganda; the Executive Director of the Competition Commission of Mauritius, Mr Deshmuk Kowlessur; and other personalities were present on the occasion.
In his keynote address, Minister Callichurn lauded the COMESA for this initiative, which according to him, would be mutually beneficial to stakeholders of both public and private sectors in Mauritius as well as to other COMESA Member States.
“This workshop,” he underlined, “covers a wide range of subject of interest to all stakeholders involved.
” He said that participants would thus have the opportunity to acquire knowledge on the operating and legislative consumer protection framework of Mauritius; the underlying critical aspects of mergers and acquisitions; the role and linkages between regulators, competition authorities and consumer organisations; and the need for enforcing regional anticompetitive business conduct, amongst others.
On this score, Mr Callichurn emphasised that this seminar would also help in developing and strengthening the skills and capabilities required by the Consumer Affairs Unit of his Ministry to adapt and thrive in this fast-changing world.
“It will also provide the opportunity to benchmark on international consumer protection laws and best practices as well as reinforcing protection of consumers and enhancing awareness campaigns,” he pointed out.
Also, the Minister remarked that in order to be able to live through a global economic crisis and face ongoing uncertainties, it was essential that strong avenues of cooperation at national and regional levels were built.
Speaking of the Competition Commission of Mauritius, Mr Callichurn said that although it was an independent statutory body, the Government was providing its full support to the Commission for the fulfilment of its duties.
“In line with its mission to enhance market competition, the Commission is leaving no stone unturned in its endeavour to act as a barrier against fraudulent and abusive business practices while at the same time ensuring consumer protection,” he added.
In addition, Minister Callichurn dwelt on some measures taken by the Consumer Affairs Unit of his Ministry as regards overall consumer satisfaction and security.
These include: market surveillance; regular visits in trade premises; handling of complaints filed by consumers; and sensitisation campaigns to educate consumers about their rights and responsibilities.
“Consumer protection,” he underscored, “remains high on the agenda of the Government when it comes to dealing with the challenges lying ahead of us, such as the need to adapt to new trends in consumer habits; the rapid development of e-Commerce; and the need for an effective monitoring of prices to prevent abusive trade practices.
” The Minister informed that in this context, his Ministry was working on a new legislative framework so as to provide better protection for the consumers.
“The COMESA Competition Commission is also assisting the Government of Mauritius in this endeavour through the setting up of the COMESA Consumer Protection Committee since April 2021,” he observed.
“This Committee,” he indicated, “will act as a regional consultative forum to address the lack of a regional standard for consumer protection rights, and monitor and harmonise consumer protection laws across Member States.
” “It will also address the need to support national consumer authorities and enhance regional cooperation to enforce consumer rules,” he pointed out.
On this note, Minister Callichurn expressed confidence that this two-day workshop would help in devising enhanced mechanisms for an improved and pertinent implementation as well as enforcement of competition and consumer protection laws. He reiterated his commitment to pursue the outcome of this seminar and to uphold the protection of consumers’ interests.
For her part, Commissioner Ruparanganda highlighted the importance of consumer protection against exploitative and harmful practices and the need for competition and consumer protection policies to work together to make markets work for both businesses and consumers in order to enhance consumer welfare. She indicated that the engagement of the Commission with Mauritius dated back to the initial years of the operations of the Commission.
On this score, she outlined some collaboration between the Commission and Mauritius including working together in the review of Mauritius’s national competition law; the drafting of a legal framework for a functional cooperation mechanism in cross-border enforcement between the Commission and the Competition Commission of Mauritius; high-level meetings with the Competition Commission of Mauritius and the Attorney General’s Office; and signature of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Competition Commission of Mauritius in 2017 to entrench collaboration between the two Competition Authorities.
“The COMESA Competition Commission,” the Commissioner underlined, “is therefore holding this workshop in its endeavour to enhance the implementation of regional and national competition and consumer protection laws in Mauritius, in accordance with the mandate of the Commission as stipulated under Article 7 of the COMESA Competition Regulations.
For More News And Analysis About Mauritius Follow Africa-Press
