Botswana Hosts 5th Annual Competition and Economic Regulation (ACER) Week

The Competition Authority of Botswana, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa and the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED) will host the 5th Annual Competition and Economic Regulation (ACER) Week 15-19 July 2019 in Kasane, Botswana. 

ACER Week provides a platform for competition authorities and regulators to share knowledge, keep abreast of key developments across the region, and build networks for collaboration. It combines professional training programmes (PTPs) from 15-17 July and a conference on 18-19 July. 

The conference will be officially opened by the Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Honourable Bogolo Kenewendo.

The ‘Core Competition Economics, Regulation and Industrial Development’ PTP addresses competition policy and regulation in the context of industrial development, with a focus on African countries. The programme draws on the theory and empirical evidence from the growing body of research on regional value chains, industrial policy, and barriers to entry and competition in Africa.

The ‘Law in Competition Policy and Economic Regulation’ PTP is mainly targeted at legal practitioners, adjudicators and case handlers in competition authorities, economic regulators and government agencies in Southern Africa, as well as private practice and company in-house lawyers. The programme focuses on the practical application of legal principles to real-world case situations.

The ‘Advanced Competition Economics’ PTP targets experienced competition economists from authorities, regulators, public and private sector firms and private practice. This intensive programme covers the latest developments in economic theory and their application to the analysis of competition cases. This year, the PTP also covers the key concepts in competition and economic regulation of digital platforms and high-tech markets, drawing on recent international cases.

Keynote speakers and facilitators expected at the ACER Week include Prof Sean Ennis (Professor at the University of East Anglia, and Director of the Centre for Competition Policy), Dr Rory Macmillan (Founding partner of Macmillan Keck Attorneys and Solicitors), Prof Simon Roberts (Professor at the University of Johannesburg), and Prof Jonathan Klaaren, (Professor and former Dean of the School of Law at the University of the Witwatersrand). 

Prof Eleanor Fox (Walter J. Derenberg Professor of Trade Regulation at New York University School of Law) will also address the conference and launch her latest book. Heads of competition authorities and regulators in Southern Africa are also expected to share their insights on recent developments in the region.