ERCA Boss declares Draft Communication plan review open in Senegal

Oru Leonard 

The Executive Director, of ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority, ERCA, Dr. Simeon Koffi has declared the review of its communication plan in Dakar Senegal open on Tuesday.

This is contained in a press release made available to News Dot Africa 

While speaking, Dr. Koffi disclosed that the conference is a 3-day working group meeting (29-31 March, 2023) aimed at reviewing the ERCA’s communication plan drafted by a consultant.

Speaking further, Dr. Koffi pointed out that the review is only aimed at increasing the visibility of ERCA’s programs and activities, and as such critical work needs to be done on the draft by the communication experts which were harnessed from different countries.

Dr. Koffi, while appreciating the President of the ECOWAS Commission’s President Dr. Omar Allieu Touray, and the hierarchy of the Commission for the opportunity to serve in such a capacity assured the experts of a conducive environment to enable them to bring out the best in them for a successful ERCA’s communication activities review.

The communication experts which are
Nehemie M’Boke, Executive Director of the Ivorian-based Communication Trader BTP, Technology Agro-business, Emmanuel Daudu, Chief Executive Officer of ZENITH Global Media Services & Consultancy, and ECOWAS Radio News Director Raymond Kolubah Zarbay in their sundry speeches assured the Executive Director of the ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority, Dr. Simeon Koffi of an amazing outcome pointing out that by the time they are done with the document, ERCA would be the most visible agency of ECOWAS.

Earlier, giving a brief background of ERCA, the Executive Director, ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority, ERCA, Dr. Simeon Koffi has this to say,
“in 2008, ECOWAS adopted a Regional Competition Policy and in the same vein, the ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority (ERCA) was established to implement the policy. The objective of this regional initiative was to support and promote open competition within the ECOWAS region, including the protection of consumers’ economic interests, through the implementation of Community Competition Rules.

“The awareness, information, and advocacy activities carried out during the second half of 2021 in eleven (11) Member States revealed a low level of knowledge of the regional competition mechanism and the ERCA among the majority of national stakeholders. Having started its activities in 2019, the relative operational infancy of the ERCA could partly explain the low awareness of its existence and activities. In order to strengthen dialogue and information sharing between all stakeholders, and to raise awareness of this mechanism for promoting competition within ECOWAS, the ERCA has decided to strengthen its communication activities.

“Thus, the ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority (ERCA), with the support of a regional expert designed a Communication Action Plan, which is intended to be proactive, for improving knowledge of the regional competition framework and visibility of its actions in the ECOWAS Region.

“This plan should include information and awareness-raising activities that would significantly improve knowledge of ECOWAS and ERCA’s competition policy among all private and public economic actors operating in the regional market as well as among consumers.

“In 2014, the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government designated the Republic of Gambia as the headquarters of the ERCA. The official launch of the ERCA took place in May 2019, following a meeting of the Technical Committee of Trade and Competition Experts in Banjul, The Gambia.

“The ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority was therefore established to implement the regional competition rules adopted by the ECOWAS Authority in 2008. These rules essentially promote, maintain and encourage competition while improving the economic efficiency of regional production, trade, and business.

“ECOWAS is a regional economic space of 15 West African Member states, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

“The ERCA is headed by an Executive Director, assisted by two Directors and the staff necessary for its proper functioning. It has the following divisions; Mergers and acquisitions, Analysis of competition and economic research, Law, investigation, compliance and enforcement, Communications and advocacy, Administration and human resources, and Finance.

“The ERCA’s Consultative Competition Committee (CCC) is a thirty (30) member committee composed of two (2) competition experts from each Member state appointed for a four (4) year term. The CCC acts as an advisory body to the ERCA in the area of competition and consumer protection. In particular, the CCC: Reviews and makes recommendations on all draft policies, guidelines, directives, instruments, rules, and regulations submitted to it by the ERCA; Makes recommendations requesting the ERCA to undertake studies or research relevant to the formulation of competition and consumer protection policies; and evaluates reports on the status of implementation of competition and consumer protection principles and policies in the region submitted to it by the ERCA, intending to make the necessary recommendations.

The CCC is assisted by a Bureau elected from among its members, consisting of the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson, and three (3) Rapporteurs”, he added.

The Meeting of the Working Group for the Review of ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority Draft Communication Plan, commenced Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in the Senegalese capital, Darkar.

The gathering is intended to pull the contributions of West African Media Experts and Practitioners to ensure greater visibility of ERCA’s activities and functions.

Nehemie M’Boke, Executive Director of the Ivorian based Communication Trader BTP, Technology Agro-business, Emmanuel Daudu, Chief Executive Officer of ZENITH Global Media Services & Consultancy and ECOWAS Radio News Director Raymond Kolubah Zarbay, joined the Executive Director of the ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority Dr. Simeon Koffi to conduct the review.

In 2008, ECOWAS adopted a Regional Competition Policy and, at the same time, established the ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority (ERCA) responsible for its implementation. This regional initiative aims to support and promote the free play of competition within the ECOWAS region and the protection of consumers’ economic interests through the implementation of the Community Competition Rules.

The awareness-raising, information and advocacy activities carried out during the second half of 2021 in six (6) Member States revealed a lack of knowledge of the regional competition mechanism and of the ERCA among the majority of national actors. Having effectively launched its activities only in 2019, the ERCA’s relative operational youth could largely justify the limited awareness of its existence and activities.

The main objective of the review the plan and make is workable in the ECOWAS 15-member Countries.