Africa: Antitrust/Competition Law

Hub and spoke arrangements enable indirect coordination between competitors through a common intermediary, raising significant competition law concerns in Morocco. While not expressly regulated, these structures may constitute prohibited concerted practices under Moroccan Competition Law when they facilitate information exchange and reduce independent decision-making.

Nigeria's telecommunications regulator has released draft business rules aimed at establishing a framework for Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) to enter and operate within the country's mobile network market. The proposed regulations seek to create new opportunities for service providers while addressing key operational and licensing requirements that could reshape the competitive landscape of Nigeria's telecom sector.

Resale Price Maintenance (RPM) refers to arrangements whereby a supplier, manufacturer, or licensor sets a minimum for, or otherwise restricts the price at which downstream distributors or retailers may resell goods or services.

The European Commission has launched an antitrust investigation into Sanofi over allegations that the pharmaceutical giant abused its dominant market position through a misleading communication campaign disparaging a competitor's influenza vaccine. The probe examines whether Sanofi falsely portrayed CSL Seqirus' Fluad vaccine as scientifically inferior while promoting its own Efluelda product to healthcare professionals in Germany and France.

In February 2026, the Competition Commission executed unannounced searches at four scrap metal companies, seizing documents and interviewing employees without warning.

The CBN's recent circular introducing market structure restrictions within the payments ecosystem may represent one of the most significant regulatory interventions in the sector in recent years. While the circular also introduces data localisation and ultimate beneficial ownership disclosure requirements, among its most consequential features are the provisions restricting the extent to which a participant with significant market share in consumer issuing activities.

The European Commission has launched an antitrust investigation into Sanofi over allegations that the pharmaceutical giant abused its dominant market position through a misleading communication campaign disparaging a competitor's influenza vaccine. The probe examines whether Sanofi falsely portrayed CSL Seqirus' Fluad vaccine as scientifically inferior while promoting its own Efluelda product to healthcare professionals in Germany and France.

Hub and spoke arrangements enable indirect coordination between competitors through a common intermediary, raising significant competition law concerns in Morocco. While not expressly regulated, these structures may constitute prohibited concerted practices under Moroccan Competition Law when they facilitate information exchange and reduce independent decision-making.

As a business owner in Nigeria, the process of growing a company often means focusing on winning customers, expanding rapidly, and outpacing competitors, while still unknowingly breaching the law.