InMedia Malawi

MEJN hails Competition

MEJN hails Competition

The Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN) has said competition in the trade industry can help to transform Malawi from an importing country to a producing and exporting country. MEJN programme manager (Trade) Temwa Gondwe was speaking in Lilongwe at a workshop last week organized to train stakeholder, mainly from the competition authority, in capacity building on Competition Policy and Law.

The Competition Policy and Law aims at eliminating restrictive business practices which hinder firms from competing freely with one another in domestic markets. Gondwe said if well implemented, the competition policy is economically good for the country because more investors would be attracted, a move he said would boost production and improve the country’s trading position.

“We want stakeholders to invest more in trade and this will help to increase production.” said Gondwe. He said where there is competition the welfare of the consumers is protected hence the need to ensure that the policy and law on competition is well implemented.

“Where competitive markets are regulated many people, including the poor, benefit, He said, adding. “More people invest in businesses and offer good prices to the consumers.” Clement Onyango, a representative of Consumer Unity and Trust Society International (CUTS), with whom MEJN organised the workshop, noted that Malawi’s economy is growing but what the country needs is to allow more people to invest in trade. Onyango said Malawi is one of the few countries in Africa that have a competition policy. He however, said the country should create an enabling environment for prospective investors.

“Our aim is to train stakeholders; we would like them to understand the importance or having competitive markets in the country and how competition can be used to address the needs of a common consumer,” said Onyango.