8TH ANNUAL COMPETITION AND ECONOMIC REGULATION (ACER) WEEK

2-6 OCTOBER 2023

THE RAVENALA ATTITUDE HOTEL

TURTLE BAY, BALACLAVA, MAURITIUS

DAY 1: Thursday 5th October 2023

INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME:

• Deshmuk Kowlessur, Executive Director, Competition Commission (Mauritius)

• Prof Thando Vilakazi, Executive Director, CCRED

OFFICIAL OPENING: Hon Soodesh Satkam Callichurn MP, Minister of Commerce & Consumer Protection, Mauritius

PANEL 1: Keynote - Prof Frédéric Jenny, Chair OECD Competition Committee: How can, and should, competition authorities step-up to make markets work better?

Chair: Yasmin Carrim, acting Judge and former member of the Competition Tribunal South Africa

Presenters:

• Deshmuk Kowlessur, Executive Director, Competition Commission (Mauritius): Shaping a competitive landscape through market studies and regulatory reviews: the Mauritian experience

• Prof Jonathan Klaaren, Karissa Moothoo Padayachie, Olwethu Shedi, University of Witwatersrand and CCRED: The impact of competition law remedies on public interest

• Prof Marek Martyniszyn, Queens University Belfast: Competition law in times of crisis

PARALLEL 1A: Development of Competition Regimes in Africa

Chair: Sailesh Ramyead, Competition Commission (Mauritius)

Presenters:

• Mweete Chiula, Parret Muteto, Inonge Mulozi, CCPC Zambia: The development of competition authorities in Africa and practical challenges in building competition regimes

• Thembalethu Buthelezi, CCSA: Appropriate tests for abuse of dominance

• Benard Anyiko, Finnian Imaana, CAK: A case study of the Competition Authority of Kenya

PARALLEL 1B: Rules, regulations and inquiries

Chair: Vipin Naugah, Competition Commission (Mauritius)

Presenters:

• Prof Peter Whelan, University of Leeds: The Use of Director Disqualification in Antitrust Law Enforcement: A Normative Analysis

• Ange Maseko, Anthony Felet, Faarez Gamieldien, Genesis Analytics: Achieving competitive outcomes in the South African electricity market

• Boitumelo Gaetsewe, University of Johannesburg: The impact of delaying the release of high demand spectrum on the broadband data market in South Africa

PANEL 2: Keynote - John Davies: Developments in the appropriate tests for harm to competition and their applicability in young competition regimes

Chair: Prof Thando Vilakazi, CCRED

Presenters:

• Prof Reena das Nair, Olwethu Shedi, the Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED) at the University of Johannesburg: The ‘supermarketisation’ of African food systems: assessment, implications and responses

• Dr Friso Bostoen, Jacquelene Mwangi, Dr Elettra Bietti, New York University, European University Institute, Harvard University: From the EU Digital Markets Act to Substantive Fairness in African Digital Markets

• Prof Imraan Valodia, University of the Witwatersrand: Implications of digital markets for discrimination

PARALLEL 2A: Digital platforms and competition challenges in Africa

Chair: Burton Phillips, Webber Wentzel

Presenters:

• Simphiwe Gumede, CCSA: A revised standard of proof for digital markets?

• Michael-James Currie, Joshua Eveleigh, John Oxenham, Primerio: Assessing the state of play of digital markets within the African context

• Tekla Mwasaru, Cecilia Kyenze, Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK): Developments in digital markets and the relevance for African markets

PARALLEL 2B: Economics of enforcement

Chair: Sudesh Puran Competition Commission (Mauritius)

Presenters:

• Prof Lukasz Grzybowski, Prof Valentin Lindlacher, Dr Onkokame Mothobi, University of Cape Town, University of Dresden: Interoperability between mobile money agents and choice of network operators: the case of Tanzania

• Dr Jamiil Jeetoo, Dr Ryan Hawthorne, Dr Elvis Avenyo, University of Technology Mauritius, Acacia Economics, and CCRED: Consumer lock-in in mobile telephony in Mauritius: Role of switching costs and network effects

• Dr Prishnee Armoogum, Competition Commission (Mauritius): Competition policy responses to Covid-19 in Africa

DAY 2: Friday 6th October 2023

PANEL 3: Competition issues in agri-food markets

Chair: Prof Reena das Nair, CCRED

Presenters:

• Sudesh Puran, Competition Commission (Mauritius): Price monitoring of essential products: the Mauritius experience

  • Myriam Hammadi, Thembalethu Buthelezi, Shamba Centre and CCSA: Reforming competition law and policy to empower MSMEs and small-scale producers in the African agri-food sector

  • Isaac Tausha, Olwethu Shedi, Prof Simon Roberts, COMESA Competition Commission and CCRED: Competition in fertilizer markets in East and Southern Africa

  • Kondwani Kaonga, Grace Nsomba, Ntombi Tshabalala, COMESA Competition Commission and CCRED: Concentration, market structure and barriers to entry in the vegetable oil value chain in selected COMESA member states

PARALLEL 3: Competition, regional integration and agro-processing

Chair: Ange Maseko, Genesis Analytics

Presenters:

• Arthur Odiwuor Odima, CAK: Competition Law and Policy in Light of Regional and Continental Integration

• Prof Simon Roberts, Sumayya Goga, CCRED: Multinationals and competition enforcement in the poultry industry and the effects in Southern Africa

• Amy Wagner, Andre Frauenknecht, Paul Anderson, Genesis Analytics: The impact of trade measures on South African poultry retail prices

• Nwabisa Nontenja, CCRED: Digital Technology Adoption in Lead Large Firms in Agro-processing Value Chains

PANEL 4: Making competition work for regional development: a practical roadmap for effective cartel enforcement?

Chair: Prof Frédéric Jenny, Chair, OECD Competition Committee

Speakers:

• Gideon Mokaya, Head of Enforcement, CAK

• Rory Macmillan, Partner, Macmillan Keck Attorneys & Solicitors

• Prof Thando Vilakazi, Executive Director, CCRED

• Lebohang Mabidikane, Partner, Bowmans Law