National Reference Group Meetings
(NRG Meetings)

The 7Up4 project aims to raise the profile of competition at the national (project countries) and the regional levels in West Africa and develop the capacity of national stakeholders including policy makers, regulators, civil society organisations, academicians and the media through a participatory process to understand competition issues. The project would highlight the relevance and need for an effective competition regime for economic development and poverty reduction at the national level, and therefore set in motion the process of evolution and implementation of competition regimes with the involvement of key national stakeholders.

In order to develop a core cadre of professionals (within the civil society, business community and the government stakeholder groups) with basic understanding on competition policy and law and its inter-relationship with consumer welfare and other public policy issues; a group of 25-30 people in each country are identified as members of the ‘National Reference Group’ (NRG). The NRG members are sensitised on relevant competition issues by periodic dialogues, seminars and trainings throughout the project period.

NRG is an informal group of national stakeholders with an aptitude for competition, regulatory policy and consumer protection issues to act as focal point in each project country for guiding project activities by providing inputs & reviewing outputs.

It is expected that the NRG would act as missionaries of the 7Up4 project, and help in sensitising other key people of the objectives and the anticipated outcomes of the project.