How does competition law enforcement contribute to economic welfare in Mauritius? This was the question that grade 12 secondary students had to address in the Essay Contest 2024 organised by the Competition Commission. The contest aimed at raising awareness among the youths, who are tomorrow’s business leaders and policy makers, on the importance and societal benefits of enforcing competition law to shape the competitive market landscape.
More than 100 students, along with their teachers who acted as facilitators/mentors, participated in the contest from about 34 state and private secondary schools. The 10 shortlisted essays were presented by the finalists at the award ceremony held on Wednesday 12th June 2024, at the Lecture Theatre 1, University of Mauritius.
On the occasion, Professor Pierre Régibeau, a former chief economist for DG competition at European Commission, was invited to deliver a guest speech. Professor Regibeau shared his valuable insights on competition law enforcement and importance for Mauritius to have an effective and business friendly competition regime. He highlighted on the importance of the work of Competition Commission in small economy like Mauritius where several markets are characterized by high degree of concentration and cross-shareholding. He also stressed on the benefit of introducing a mandatory merger notification.
The finalists, on their part, delivered brilliant presentations on economic benefits of competition law enforcement. They highlighted notable cases handled by the Competition Commission covering the various sectors, including retail and distribution, property development, construction and pharmaceutical. They emphasized how competition law enforcement, through these cases, contributed to restoring competition in the market and thus benefiting consumers in terms of price, innovation and choice.
The 5 winners were announced by the Jury Panel, Professor Katharine Rockett from the Essex University, Associate Professor Sunil Bundoo from the University of Mauritius, and Mr Mosadeq Sahebdin.
All participating students and their mentors were awarded certification of participation and each of the 10 finalists received a Shield. In addition, the 5 winners were awarded cash prizes as follows:
1st prize: Antoine Melanie Rachel, Forest-Side SSS girls – Rs 25,000
2nd prize : Dusoye Nakul Kumar Varma, Royal College Port Louis – Rs 15,000
3rd prize: Narain Loushina, Royal College Port Louis – Rs10,000
4th prize: Dursun Priyamvada, Rabindranath Tagore SS – Rs 5,000/-
5th prize: Hossamdee Bibi Sakinah, Dr Maurice Curé SC – Rs 5,000
The Competition Commission wishes to thank all the collaborators, in particular the Ministry of Commerce and Consumer Protection; the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology; and all the participating secondary schools.
