South Africa: Merger Control in Africa in 2021 – Where To Go From Here?
Multi-jurisdictional filings in Africa has increased over the past two decades and continues to grow as more national and regional bodies come online and actively enforce merger control provisions in their countries or regions. It isn't uncommon for international or pan-African firms to file in multiple jurisdictions across the continent, each with their own, sometimes unique, timelines, technical requirements and policy objectives. The maturation of these authorities and the pressure on economic regulators to assist with solving the developmental goals in economies across Africa also means that merger review is becoming more sophisticated and authorities are more likely to actively intervene, should transactions give rise to unwanted outcomes in certain markets, or be incompatible with the authority's developmental goals.
In this webinar our esteemed panel will provide an overview of recent developments and emerging trends in the merger control sphere across Africa, share stories and lessons learnt, and answer other burning questions, such as:
• Which African authorities lead the pack in terms of activity, enforcement and intervention?
• Which African states are in the process of amending their regulatory frameworks and what are the likely effects?
• What are the emerging policy trends across the continent? To what extent are public interest effects, such as employment, economic development and foreign ownership, becoming more important? How are various jurisdictions dealing with these challenges?
• What is the best way to streamline and co-ordinate multiple African filings and rest-of world filings?
• How will the recent amendments to the South African Competition Act affect its merger control regime?
• Which formal and informal co-operation arrangements are in place between various African authorities and rest of the world authorities? How does it affect multi-jurisdictional filings?
