- Continent continues to lag behind in intra-continental trade
NKOMBO KACHEMBA
Lusaka
TRADE in Africa dates back to around 3,000 BC, long before the rise of modern states and formal economies.
What began as simple barter exchanges within communities evolved into sophisticated trade networks connecting the continent to global markets.
Early African societies traded salt, iron tools, animal skins and food through systems based on trust and mutual benefit.
As communities expanded and specialised, demand for goods unavailable locally gave rise to organised trade routes linking distant regions.
Despite this rich history, Africa continues to lag behind in intracontinental trade. According to the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD), intraAfrican trade accounts for only 16 percent of total trade, compared to Europe’s 70 percent, Asia’s 61 percent and the United States’ 55 percent.
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) attributes this low trade performance largely to tariff and non-tariff barriers, with nontariff barriers remaining the most significant obstacle.
According to the Borderless Alliance, non-tariff barriers include “buy national” policies, seasonal import regimes, import bans, complex rules of origin, burdensome regulations and excessive trade documentation requirements.
Import bans are among the most common restrictions in the COMESA region.
When a country wants to enforce competition laws or consumer protection laws to protect its manufacturing industry from collapse, enhance its food security or protect its people from harmful imported goods, it will often impose import bans.
One example is the Zambia Democratic Republic of Congo maize export ban. Zambia has periodically restricted maize exports to preserve domestic food security, disrupting supply to eastern DRC, which heavily depends on Zambian maize.
These restrictions often fuel informal cross-border trade and increase price volatility.
Kenya and Uganda have also experienced repeated disputes over maize and sugar trade.
Kenya has at times restricted imports from Uganda, citing quality and safety concerns. The restrictions have triggered trade tensions and costly border delays.
Egypt similarly imposes poultry import restrictions to protect its domestic industry.
Although the measures strengthen local production, they reduce market access for exporters from countries such as Sudan and Uganda.
In the dairy sector, Kenya and Uganda have intermittently restricted milk and dairy imports to protect local farmers and enforce standards. However, these actions have disrupted regional agricultural value chains and reduced export opportunities.
Malawi has also imposed bans on imports of maize, rice and cooking oil at different times.
Such restrictions often encourage informal trade along the Zambia Malawi and Zambia–Tanzania borders, resulting in revenue losses and weakening formal trade systems.
In COMESA, COMESA Competition and Consumer Commission (CCCC) is mandated to prevent anti-competitive business practices, regulate mergers and eliminate restrictions that hinder efficient markets access within the bloc. The commission derives its authority from the COMESA Treaty and works to promote fair competition and consumer welfare.
The CCCC monitors anticompetitive conduct, investigates unfair trade practices and raises awareness about unsafe products and import bans.
For instance, the Malawi Bureau of Standards recently banned imports of Ndola Hydrated Lime manufactured by Lime Resources Limited in Zambia after reports that the product exploded during use, causing severe skin burns and property damage. Investigations revealed high sulphur content, a known skin irritant.
Following the investigations, the CCCC alerted countries such as Burundi, DRC and Zimbabwe, which also import lime from Zambia, to exercise caution.
The commission has also investigated anti-competitive agreements. In 2016, it investigated Parmalat and its distributors over possible infringement of Article 16 of COMESA regulations to determine whether the agreements distorted competition or affected trade within the regional market.
But what are effects of these competition and consumer laws on trade and development?
Experts across the COMESA region say competition and consumer protection laws can either support or hinder trade depending on how they are designed and implemented.
Uganda Chamber of Energy and Minerals chief executive officer Humphrey Asiimwe describes the laws as a “doubleedged sword”.
Mr Asiimwe says competition laws become barriers when countries use them as protectionist tools to shield domestic markets from external competition.
“Africa right now has about 1.4 billion people, but we are not experiencing the full benefits of that market through the African Continental Free Trade Area partly because of these protectionist rules, which create non-tariff barriers,” he says.
He cites the Nairobi–Entebbe aviation route, once dominated by a single airline despite being one of Africa’s shortest routes.
“The 45-minute flight was one of the most expensive routes because only one airline operated it for a long time,” he says.
However, Mr Asiimwe says properly designed competition laws are essential in preventing predatory practices where dominant firms push smaller businesses out of the market.
He emphasises the need for balanced regulations modelled on international best practices.
Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry chief executive officer Daisy Kambalame says competition and consumer protection laws significantly influence regional trade and economic development.
She says Malawi has benefited from harmonised competition laws in the sugar sector, helping prevent unfair pricing and improve market access.
However, uneven enforcement of regulations across countries often creates unintended barriers to trade.
“For example, Kenya’s stricter import standards on products such as sugar have been viewed by other COMESA member states as protectionist and inconsistent with free trade principles,” she says.
Ms Kambalame also notes that Egypt’s stringent certification requirements make it difficult for smaller exporters from countries such as Malawi and Burundi to access its market.
She acknowledges the role of CCCC’s Strategic Plan (2026–2030), which aims to modernise regulations, strengthen institutional capacity and improve coordination among member states.
Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer Christopher Mugaga says consumer and competition laws are closely linked because stronger competition ultimately benefits consumers.
Mr Mugaga says fair competition laws are essential in regional blocs such as COMESA, where tariffs are being reduced and borders opened for business expansion. However, he warns that such laws should not undermine free trade principles.
“Zimbabwe cannot export goats to Zambia because Zambia says it has enough goats. It also cannot export tobacco to Malawi because Malawi is producing its own tobacco,” he says.
Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Chance Kabaghe says competition and consumer protection laws are vital for building trust in regional markets.
Mr Kabaghe says the laws help
prevent market distortions such as price-fixing, unfair exclusion of competitors and the sale of substandard goods.
He warns that anti-competitive practices remain among the most damaging but least visible barriers to intra-African trade and stresses the need to balance regulation with enterprise growth.
Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiation Institute (SEATINI) executive director Jane Nalunga says there is a positive but conditional relationship between effective competition policy and trade performance.
Ms Nalunga says weak enforcement of competition and consumer protection laws encourages cartels, abuse of dominance and anti-competitive conduct that drain value from African economies.
Competition and consumer protection laws remain critical tools for promoting fair trade, protecting consumers and strengthening regional integration in Africa. However, when used as protectionist measures, they can become barriers to trade by restricting market access, increasing costs and undermining the objectives of regional frameworks such as COMESA and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Experts agree that Africa’s challenge is not the existence of these laws, but how they are implemented.
Striking a balance between protecting local industries and promoting free trade will be key to unlocking the continent’s economic potential and boosting intra-African trade.
