The Burundian Consumers Association (ABUCO) and the Burundi Traders Association (ACOBU) welcome the establishment of the competition commission. They say it comes to combat unfair competition and injustices often perpetrated by retailers such as requiring consumers to buy products they do not need.
Onésime Niyukuri, president of the commission: “the establishment of the competition commission demonstrates the government’s desire to promote trade in particular and development in general”
The Consumers Association of Burundi (ABUCO) welcomes the establishment of the competition commission in Burundi.
In a workshop on the state of play of the implementation of the legal and regulatory framework for competition in Burundi organized from June 5 to 7, 2024, Pierre Nduwayo, president of this association, indicates that this commission comes at the right time, because it will get involved in the protection of consumers who continue to be unfairly exploited by certain traders.
They are sometimes forced to buy products they do not need, he laments. The example raised is the case of traders of Brarudi products.
When supplying, they are ordered to buy boxes of Fanta to benefit from the Primus and Amstel lockers. According to him, these traders must know that they are violating competition law.
Some traders violate competition law
Same reaction from the Association of Traders of Burundi (ACOBU). Jean Samandari, president of this association, points out that certain economic operators violate the competition law by practicing unfair competition.
He hopes that with the establishment of the competition commission these bad attitudes will be brought under control.
What about certain recommendations made ?
Other participants in this workshop demand that the competition commission have a sufficient budget according to its needs so that it can properly carry out its activities. In addition, they recommend that there be awareness of its missions, capacity building of its members, that it have management autonomy, sufficient equipment, internal regulations, permanent staff, its procedures clear administrative and financial
Onésime Niyukuri, president of this commission, indicates that the establishment of the competition commission demonstrates the government’s desire to promote trade in particular and development in general.
He says some traders want to corner the entire market. Which constitutes an anti-competitive practice. He promises to fight all this with the utmost energy.
What about the mission of the competition commission?
According to him, the commission he heads plans to reprimand all anti-competitive practices at the national level.
It is responsible for proposing guidelines to the Minister in charge of trade in various areas of application of the competition law.
It rules on any other question relating to competition and in particular on any economic or administrative regulation emanating from public authorities, including autonomous local authorities or bodies to which the State has delegated powers.
It gives opinions at the request of agencies, bodies or sectoral regulatory authorities on issues falling within their competence. It consults them when it receives requests for opinions or complaints relating to the conditions of competition in said sectors.
It issues sanctions and injunctions against any other measure of a provisional nature following a contradictory procedure.
It gives opinions on any question falling within its competence to the government, parliamentary committees, local authorities, unions, approved consumer organizations as well as sectoral chambers of commerce and industry.
It serves as a national liaison body with the competition commission of COMESA, the East African Community or any other regional integration body.
It also presents an annual activity report to the Minister.
Niyukuri asks the government to put in place a text implementing the competition law so that the commission it oversees works in transparency.
In addition, he specifies that certain provisions of this law need to be updated, because it dates from 2010. As an illustration, the competition law stipulates that the competition commission is made up of 9 members. However, it is made up of 11 members who come from the public and private sectors as well as civil society.
Note that the competition commission was set up in April 2024.
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