By Tyla Lee Coertzen and Holly Joubert

Introduction

On 13 January 2026, the newly renamed COMESA Competition and Consumer Commission (“CCCC”) issued its Practice Note 1 of 2026 (“Practice Note”), which is intended to provide legal clarification for businesses and legal communities regarding the newly approved COMESA Competition and Consumer Protection Regulations of 2025 (“2025 Regulations”).

By addressing common points of confusion, such as clarification on the commencement of the 2025 Regulations, merger thresholds in respect of transactions in digital markets, and the CCCC’s ability to grant derogations from its suspensory regime, the CCCC aims to ensure a uniform interpretation and a smooth transition to the 2025 Regulations and new suspensory merger regime.

1. The effective date and “in-flight” transactions

One of the main objectives of the practice note was to correct a previous administrative error regarding the implementation date of the new regime. The CCCC clarified that the effective date of the 2025 Regulations is 4 December 2025, the same date the 2025 Regulations were approved by the COMESA Council of Ministers.

For merger transactions signed shortly before the enforcement of the 2025 Regulations, but were not yet notified or closed, the CCCC has set a clear boundary stating that any matter not under assessment by the CCCC by 4December 2025 will be governed by the 2025 Regulations. Contrarily, any matters instituted before 4 December 2025 and currently under the CCCC’s review will continue to be managed under the repealed 2004 Regulations to ensure procedural continuity.

• Strict adherence to the new suspensory regime

The Practice Note emphasises and enforces the CCCC’s new suspensory regime, requiring notifiable transactions to be approved by the CCCC before they may be implemented.

While the 2025 Regulations allow for derogations where parties may apply to implement transactions prior to obtaining approval, the CCCC emphasises that such derogations will be granted sparingly and only in exceptional circumstances.

The CCCC, however, clarifies that while there is no longer a deadline by which a transaction must be notified to the CCCC, there are no derogations afforded to the notification requirements themselves. This ensures that all notifiable mergers must be notified prior to implementation.

• Transactions in digital markets

To ensure the CCCC keeps pace with the rapid development of antitrust enforcement in digital markets, the 2025 Regulations have introduced a specific digital-transaction value threshold in an attempt to regulate big tech.

Under the 2025 Regulations, a transaction involved in digital markets is required to be notified should:

1. the worldwide value of the transaction reaches over COM$250 million (US$250 million); and
2. at least one party operates in two or more Member States.

• Notification requirements in respect of Joint Ventures

When considering the notification requirements and thresholds in respect of a joint venture (“JV”), the CCCC has emphasised that the 2025 Regulations will only apply to JVs that have the intention of performing on a lasting basis all the functions of an autonomous economic entity (commonly referred to as full-function JVs).

A keynote emphasised by the Practice Note is the definition of a “lasting basis”, emphasising that a JV is not subject to notification if the parties to the JV do not have the intention of operating within the COMESA region within the next three years or, once established, operating for a period of three years or more.

• Extension of merger assessments to non-competition factors

Although the CCCC considers public interest factors under the 2025 Regulations, the Practice Note has clarified that the competition concerns of a transaction carry the most weight in its investigation.

The CCCC priorities ensure that in the future, it is unlikely for the Commission to reject a co-competitive merger based on negative public interest. This is just as a merger that may significantly lessen a competitive market will not be more heavily considered based on the benefits of the public interest.

John Oxenham, director at Primerio International, notes that “ultimately, while the effects of the 2025 Regulations and Practice Note remain to be seen in practice, the Practice Note acts as a helpful road map for navigating the new aspects of the 2025 Regulations.” His colleague Andreas Stargard observes that the latest Practice Note is “not substantive in any significant way, but truly sticks to the theme of mere ‘clarification’ of the existing new 2025 Regs.  Deadlines and time calculations are explained in more detail than in the statute — but not altered — and value thresholds for digital transactions are clarified (again, without substantively modifying the text as found in the new law).  They are basic practice pointers, no more and no less.”