August 20, 2021

The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, is inviting applications for a new Director

The University of Pretoria wishes to invite applications for the following vacancy at the Centre for Human Rights (an academic department and a non-governmental organisation at the University).

The News and Events published every week include conferences, major developments in the field of International Economic Law in Africa at the national, sub-regional and regional levels as well as relevant case law.

Private investment is at the centre of Japan’s current Africa policy that aims to amplify its economic diplomacy in Africa, offsetting the increased Chinese presence in the continent mainly through sovereign investments. This has made the promotion of Japanese private investments in Africa a “strategic priority of Japan”, whose political impetus in this respect clashes with the economic interests of “risk-averse” Japanese investors. Accordingly, the protection of private investments has come to the fore hastening the Afro-Japanese BIT programme remained idle for decades.

This blog post illustrates the role of national competition agencies (NCAs) in enforcing regional-level competition laws in Africa. Generally, the journey to regional integration starts with action at the national level. Then, as countries enter discussions and negotiations, treaties or agreements are signed containing articles that spell out common interests between States.

August 18, 2021

This one-day workshop will investigate, discuss, and consider new sustainable avenues to achieve SDGs in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of the possible side effects of the pandemic will be felt on the actualisation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) especially in developing countries especially as the UK government has announced cuts to foreign aid.

Date: 9th September 2021

August 17, 2021

This role can be based in either the London or Edinburgh IIED offices. We may also be able to consider placement in sub-Saharan Africa Whilst this role is assigned to an IIED office, IIED will remain a predominately remote-working organisation for the foreseeable future We encourage applications from the Global South

The closing deadline for applications is midnight on 12 September 2021 Interviews will be held the week commencing 27 September 2021

While there is consensus about the importance of regional competition regimes towards realizing the economic benefits associated with regional market agreements, there are certainly multiple pathways that may be taken towards the regionalization of competition law and policy in any particular regional grouping. The exact path chosen will inevitably be led by the specific economic and geo-political circumstances in which the member states of the regional grouping operate. In the case of the ASEAN Economic Community, it is submitted that the most practical way forward is to take a “bottom-up” approach with two or more member states taking the lead to establish common ground in specific areas of competition law practice, particularly those that are of greater significance in cross-border transactions and investigations. The success of such smaller initiatives might encourage other members of the regional grouping to follow suit and, hopefully, participate in other “harmonization and convergence” reform efforts that will help ASEAN advance its single market aspirations.

The Afronomicslaw.org Academic Forum invites you to join their next guest lecture series.

The objective of integrating the African economies is now continental. Hence, the entry into force of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement for a Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) marks a new and more ambitious stage in the process of integrating African economies[1]. Generally, regional integration projects and initiatives have a strong focus on the trade dimension. They aim at lowering and eliminating trade barriers by prohibiting participating members' restraints of trade in the internal market or by creating a common market. The trade dimension is important. However, its objectives would not be achieved without a competition policy dimension as a compliment. Hence, restrictions of competition on the regional level have both a trade and a competition component. To achieve the objective of creating regional markets free of trade barriers, it is crucial, in addition to the prohibiting restriction of trade, to police private and State initiated anti-competitive behaviors.

This multidisciplinary conference explores these and various other disparate practices with a view to developing a systematic understanding of the ways in which African actors seek to shape, challenge, and advance the knowledge, rules, and practice on sanctions. This involves uncovering and situating African perspectives, concerns and practices within, and vis-à-vis, the broader debate on sanctions in global governance.