Speaker details

Biography

Willard Mwemba began his career in Competition Law at the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission in Zambia. He worked at the Competition Authority in Zambia before he joined the COMESA Competition Commission. While at the Competition Authority in Zambia, Willard rose to the position of Director of the Mergers and Monopolies Department. During his employee at the Competition Authority in Zambia, Willard handled some very high profile cases and initiated investigations on high profile cartels. Willard joined the COMESA Competition Commission in January 2013 and became its first head of the Mergers and Acquisitions Department. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer at the COMESA Competition Commission. Willard has written extensively on the subject of competition law and has spoken at several high profile fora. He is usually invited as a guest lecturer on the subject at Universities and Colleges in Zambia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor's degree in Agro-Economics. Willard also holds a Masters degree in European Union Competition Law from University of London; Kings College. He further holds a PhD in Competition Law from the University of Cape Town. Willard has been instrumental in assisting Member States strengthen their competition law enforcement. In 2015 he assisted the Trade Competition and Consumer Protection Authority of Ethiopia strengthen their Mergers and Acquisitions Department. Among the other Member States Willard has assisted to strengthen competition law enforcement include Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Madagascar and Eswatini. He has also assisted the East African Community Competition Authority, a supra national competition authority regulating competition in the East African Community Willard also assisted the Board of Commissioners of the Swaziland Competition Commission to adjudicate on some cases before them. While at the COMESA Competition Commission, Willard has been instrumental in formulating and reviewing the COMESA legal framework with regard to competition law.