 
Contact Address:
Gambia
Competition
Commission
Banjul area Head Office
36 Kotu East, Kmc, Ksmd
(Off Bertil Harding Highway)
PO Box 3299, Serrekunda
The Gambia, West Africa
Tel no: 4466792 / 4466793
Fax: 4466791
Email: info@gcc.gm
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Information:
The (GCC) Gambia Competition Commission was established
on the 27th October 2008 under the oversight of the
Ministry of Trade and Industry. The GCC is the statutory
Government authority responsible for overseeing the
fair provision of goods and services by ensuring that
all businesses adhere to the Gambia's
Competition Act of 2007. The act aims to promote
fair business competition and spells out prohibited
business practices in order to provide guidance to firms,
their legal advisors and consultants.
The statute also gives explanations to the kinds of
queries that individuals might make about the Competition
Commission and the Act.
Some of the restrictive practices that the body aims
to protect Gambian consumers from are monopolies, collusive
agreements, cartels, restrictive practices, bid rigging,
price fixing etc., all in order to ensure a free trade
of goods and services in the various markets. The GCC
also deals with whistleblowers, mergers and acquisitions,
applications for leniency and provides a public procurement
manual and plan.
The Gambia Competition Commission has a Legal Division
which can address and explain any of the provisions
of law.
Functions:
• To investigate cases that come inside
the provisions of section 29 to 32 of the Act.
• To decide on & set penalties or apt remedies to
ensure firms adhere to the clauses as described under
prohibited restrictive practices and check for compliance.
• Advising Government & other public bodies
on any public sector decisions that may have an adverse
effect on competition.
• To make inquires into
possible breaches of the prohibition of restrictive
agreements covered by the provisions of sections 25
and 26 of the Act.
• To promote for greater
competition in The Republic of The Gambia.
• To authorise the gathering of information required
for the assessment of cases.
• To carry out
studies on the efficacy of competition in sectors of
the economy.
• To carry out meetings with stakeholders
or other interested persons.
Complaints Procedure of the GCC:
Anyone can submit information on an allegation of a
violation of a prohibited business practice to the Gambia
Competition Commission by filling in a specially devised
complaint form to the Commission via the Secretariat,
addressed to the Executive Secretary. When such a complaint
is received, investigation of the complaint will be
carried out in due course.
Once a complaint is received, the commission may publish
a notice in the media and/or the Government Gazette,
welcoming any person who thinks the alleged practice
has affected, or is affecting, a material interest of
that person to file a complaint about the issue to their
office.
The required information that must be submitted on their
prescribed form are:
• Your name as the complainant.
• The name of the party being complained of.
• A short description of the alleged breach of
the Act, stating whether the activity is still being
carried out, or when the breach stopped.
•
A written submission going into the details of the complainant's
cause for complaint, how it came about, the parties
concerned, pertinent dates and other relevant information.
Forms can be downloaded from
HERE.
Note: The GCC's procedures, policies and guidelines
could be subjected to change from time to time so you
must check with them first before making a formal complaint
of any kind.
[From their website as
at 20 September, 2013]
Gambia Competition Commission:
"The Act prohibits the disclosure by a person
with respect to a particular business or the affairs
of an individual that has been obtained under or by
virtue of a provision of the Act while the business
continues to be carried on or during the lifetime
of the individual.
A person who provides false or misleading information
knowingly or recklessly in circumstances in which
the person providing the information intends, or could
reasonably be expected to know, that the information
would be used by the Commission to exercise a function
under this Act will be liable to prosecution."
Structure of the GCC:
The Gambia Competition Commission is an authority which
was set up by legal statute and is composed of 5 presidentially
appointed commissioners who sit on a board and are headed
by a Chairman or Chairwoman.
Below them is the GCC's Executive Secretary who is aided
by a Personal Assistant. Under this post you have the
Director of Legal Services & Compliance who is assisted
by a Legal Officer, the Director of Economic Analysis,
the Director of Investigations, Director of Corporate
Services and the Director of Policy and Research. They
are assisted by an economist and two investigators.
Under the Corporate Services Directorate are an accountant,
receptionist, IT specialist, Records Officer, Admin
/ Finance Officer, Procurement Officer, 7 support staff
and a secretary.
Directions:
To get to the official regulator's GCC headquarters
turn off the Senegambia Highway at Kotu East.
Disclaimer
The information on this above page should not be relied
on for any information whatsoever and does not constitute
legal advice or guidance on any matter whatsoever. You
should visit the Gambia Competition Commission's official
website and their main office in Kotu for any information
of any kind that you seek. |
