Constituency Building for Competition Reforms
in West Africa
Outputs, Outcomes and anticipated Impacts of the
7UP4 Project in The Gambia
By: Omar Ousman Jobe
(7UP4 Project Coordinator, The Gambia)
6-7 August 2010
Hotel Novotel, Dakar- Senegal
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Garba Jahumpa Road, Bakau, K.S.M.D. The Gambia.
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Tel: (220) 494338 Fax: (220) 494219
Presentation Outline:
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Activities Conducted
Implementation Issues
Project Outputs
Project Outcomes
Project Impacts
Conclusion and way forward
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Activities Conducted to strengthen The Gambian
Constituency:
• Preliminary Country Paper (PCP) Research
• National Reference Group (NRG I) meeting
• Perception survey on the state of competition in The
Gambia
• Pre-Summit Conference (Banjul, July 2009)
• Mid-term review meeting (Banjul, July 2009)
• National Reference Group (NRG II) meeting (October
2009)
3
Garba Jahumpa Road, Bakau, K.S.M.D. The Gambia.
*
Tel: (220) 494338 Fax: (220) 494219
Activities Conducted to strengthen The Gambian
Constituency:
• Regional Training Workshop (Abuja, Nigeria)
• National Training Workshops (NTWs) for stakeholders
(Parliamentarians, Government officials, sector
regulators, the media, GCC, UTG etc)
• National Reference Group (NRG III) meeting
• Advocacy Campaigns
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Garba Jahumpa Road, Bakau, K.S.M.D. The Gambia.
*
Tel: (220) 494338 Fax: (220) 494219
Implementation Issues:
• The representation of stakeholder institutions at
NRG meetings has been very inconsistent and it
was realized that adequate briefings did not
always take place after every meeting.
• Some stakeholder institutions did not send
participants to all 3 NRG meetings due to
conflicting commitments
• Regrettably, some tertiary institutions
particularly banks were not cooperative during
the CRR research phase
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Implementation Issues (Cont’d)
• Inadequate sample size (150 key informants) and
perception survey was confined to the urban area
only
• Frequent changes at the line Ministry involving
Ministers and Permanent Secretary
• Lack of funding of consumer organization is
affecting their operations and the supporting role
they could have played in the implementation
process
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Project Outputs:
• Preliminary Country Paper (PCP) produced
• Country Research Report (CRR) – baseline
information of competition issues captured and shared
• NRG Meeting Reports
• National Training Workshop (NTW) Reports
• Capacity of NRG members to guide the process of
competition implementation and assessing project
outputs is greatly improved
• Understanding of competition policy and law enhanced
among National Assembly Members, Media
Practitioners, Civil Society Organizations and
Government Partners
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Project Outputs (Cont’d)
• Competition Literature disseminated to
stakeholders/Project Partners
• Advocacy road map for The Gambia produced
with emphasis on the following elements:
– Engage proactively with the business sector
– Enhance consumer awareness of competition issues
and create a consumer movement
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Project Outputs (Cont’d)
– Assist the government to address the human,
financial and technical constraints being faced by
the competition authority and evolve a healthy
competition culture
– Advocate for greater funding support for
regulatory authorities/agencies
– Facilitate a framework of cooperation between the
competition commission and sector regulators
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Project Outcomes:
• National Assembly Members are more sensitive to
competition issues and are poised to advocate and
support competition reforms
• The findings from the CRR revealed that the media
were not conversant with competition issues and could
not cover it adequately. After the training, journalists
are more confident in covering competition related
issues
• Pro-PAG, a CSO, is seen to be driving the agenda of
competition policy and law and is perceived as a
credible partner to GCC , PURA and the Government.
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Garba Jahumpa Road, Bakau, K.S.M.D. The Gambia.
*
Tel: (220) 494338 Fax: (220) 494219
Project Outcomes:
• The present and future performance of GCC,
PURA etc in competition regulation is greatly
enhanced by the project
• The interfacing challenge between sector
regulators and the Competition Commission is
brought to the fore and is better understood
• An eye opener: through the sensitization
campaigns in the print media, many people are
now able to discern various forms of anticompetitive business practices
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Project Outcomes (Cont’d)
• The University of The Gambia has agreed to
introduce a course on competition for final
students of marketing from next September in
partnership with CUTS and possibly the
Gambia Competition Commission.
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Anticipated Impacts of 7UP4:
• The need for competition reforms is made evident and
awareness of the issues is enhanced among National
Assembly Members for them to support the evolving of
a viable competition regime in The Gambia
• Pro-PAG, GCC and partners will continue to promote a
healthy competition culture for greater consumer
welfare and utility
• Competition policy and law as instruments of socioeconomic development is widely accepted
• Consumers have value for money, wider choice of good
quality
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Way Forward
• Dissemination of the CRR Report nationwide
• Radio and Television Talk Shows to sensitize the
general public on the merits of competition
• Advocacy for Competition Reforms
• Capacity Building
• Enhanced partnership with the Gambia Chamber
of Commerce and GCC to encourage the private
sector to open up and to play by the rules
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THANK YOU
FOR YOUR
ATTENTION ! !
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Garba Jahumpa Road, Bakau, K.S.M.D. The Gambia.
*
Tel: (220) 494338 Fax: (220) 494219