By Sariba Manneh
The Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (GCCPC), in a press conference, indicated that surveillance in the past months revealed that there was a 70% reduction in the wholesale price of onions and Irish potatoes after Ramadan.
The Commission observed that the reductions were not reflected in the corner shop prices within the West Coast Region, which they said is a concern to the Commission.
The Chairperson of the Commission, Yassin Senghore, said reaffirmed the Commission’s readiness to pursue a strong consumer protection regime for enhanced consumer welfare. Senghore also said the GCCPC will strengthen collaboration with the different stakeholders to foster a healthy and competitive market.
She made the remarks on Thursday, 1 August 2024 at a press briefing where she highlighted the activities and undertakings of the Commission in the last 6 months.
According to her, the GCCPC embarked on various activities aimed at promoting competitive markets and safeguarding the rights and welfare of consumers. These include market studies in key sectors of the economy, policy advice to the government on essential commodities to ensure affordability and availability, enhanced market surveillance, and vigorous advocacy among others.
She explained that the Commission conducts bi-weekly market surveillance in Greater Banjul and some parts of the West Coast Region to monitor the prices of essential commodities in the market as well as the conduct of businesses, to determine if price hikes are a result of anti-competitive practices.
“The Commission has issued directives and warning letters in recent years to many businesses that were found to be abusing their monopoly positions in the market. The main types of issues found in essential commodities markets are abuse of dominance practices, through tying and bundling and refusal to deal,” she said.
She added that the prices of basic commodities continue to fluctuate in response to market dynamics. The Commission shall closely monitor the retail outlets, especially the corner shops, to examine the reasons why reductions in wholesale prices do not always filter down to the retail shops, she added.
The Director of Competition, Baboucarr M Ceesay responding to questions on price hikes, said the Commission constantly monitors the markets and is aware of the need to lessen the public’s burden amid the global price increases.
The Commission’s Executive Secretary, Basiru Njie, called for concerted efforts in tackling consumer protection issues, noting that the Commission will continue to engage with all relevant and key actors for the effective and efficient execution of its mandate.
Foroyaa will investigate this matter and keep the readership informed. This might not actually represent the reality in the markets.
