MBABANE – The Eswatini Competition Commission (ESCC) has received international recognition for its grassroots consumer protection work.
The commission earned an honourable mention at the 2026 World Bank Group and International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) Consumer Protection Awards in Georgia.
The recognition was awarded to the commission for its Grassroots Consumer Access to Recourse and Redress Initiative, known as G-CARRI, under the awards’ “No One Left Behind” theme.
The theme focused on initiatives by consumer protection authorities aimed at reaching vulnerable and underserved consumers through adapted enforcement approaches, complaint channels and mechanisms that provide consumers with access to redress.
The 2026 World Bank Group and ICPEN Consumer Protection Awards brought together consumer protection authorities from across the globe to recognise initiatives delivering measurable and practical results for consumers.
This was the third edition of the awards programme, which was co-hosted by the World Bank and the Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency, which holds the ICPEN Presidency in 2026.
The ESCC was represented at the awards ceremony by its Director Competition and Consumer Protection, Dr Thobisa Simelane.
The honourable mention places the Commission’s G-CARRI initiative among international efforts aimed at ensuring that consumer protection extends beyond formal policy and regulatory frameworks to consumers who may face barriers in accessing protection and remedies.
Through G-CARRI, the Commission has sought to bring consumer awareness, education and protection closer to communities, particularly consumers who may otherwise have limited access to formal consumer protection mechanisms.
The international recognition highlights the importance of making consumer protection accessible at grassroots level, where consumers interact directly with businesses and markets.
The “No One Left Behind” category specifically recognised work designed to address gaps in access to consumer protection by adapting enforcement, complaint-handling and redress mechanisms to the needs of vulnerable and underserved consumers.
For the ESCC, the recognition provides international acknowledgement of efforts to make consumer protection more accessible to consumers in Eswatini.
The commission is a statutory body established under the Competition Act of 2007.
Its mandate includes promoting fair competition, preventing anti-competitive practices, regulating mergers and acquisitions, and protecting consumer welfare in Eswatini’s markets.
The award therefore comes against the Commission’s broader responsibility of ensuring that businesses compete fairly while consumers are protected from practices that may undermine their welfare.
