Competition Commission moves to extend footprint

Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) says it will now have the capacity to reach out to many people in the country with its services following the opening of a regional office in Mzuzu City.

Speaking in an interview, CFTC spokesperson Innocent Helema said they want to reach as many consumers as possible.

He said: “We did not have a regional office in Mzuzu, but we have offices in Lilongwe and Blantyre.

“We are trying to open as many offices as possible as we will also open more offices in the Eastern Region and other districts so that we can reach many consumers.”

The Mzuzu office, which started its operations on July 14, will offer different services, ranging from resolving and receiving complaints on unfair trading and anti-competitive practices, to provision of relevant information to consumers and other stakeholders on their rights and obligations.

In a statement, CFTC acting executive director Apoche Itimu said the commission encourages all stakeholders in the region to visit its offices to access services.

A Mzuzu-based consumer, Reignford Khunga, commended CFTC for opening a regional office.

He said: “A lot of service providers have taken advantage of the absence of CFTC in Mzuzu for a long time. These range from mega shops to banks and other service providers.

“The coming in of this commission will give us and other surrounding areas a platform to lodge different complaints. Most of our issues have gone unreported due to the absence of this office.”

Khunga urged CFTC to conduct patrols around the shops to monitor what is happening.

The Mzuzu office is located in Peace Building, Room number five opposite Katoto Secondary School ground.