Declaration of the African Consumers Union (AUC) on the occasion of the celebration of Worldwide Consumer Rights Day 2021

On March 15 of each year across the world, the worldwide consumer movement celebrates World Consumer Rights Day.

The celebration of this day is an important opportunity for consumer organizations to educate consumers about their rights and duties, but above all to focus the attention of decision-makers on major consumer issues and especially their responsibility in terms of consumer protection.
The celebration of this event this year is taking place within the period of COVID-19 pandemic which has been affecting the whole world and has undermined economies with negative consequences for consumers.
Although the African continent has not been severely affected in terms of deaths, it has nevertheless experienced the most devastating economic consequences as it already has a fragile economy and a strong dependence on world trade in terms of imports, commodities and external financing. All developing countries suffer from vulnerabilities that are accentuated by exogenous shocks.

Borders, shops, schools, universities were kept closed and the restriction of the activities of certain public and private services, population containment are clean-cut preventive measures the whole world has , taken to curb the spread of the disease. However, these measures have contributed to the violation of the rights of consumer citizens in several African countries. These measures will undoubtedly have negative effects in the medium and long term on the development of the continent. It is therefore urgent for the international community to organize itself to find adequate solutions in order to protect vulnerable populations, and fight against growing poverty, high cost of living and unemployment and to ensure a recovery of economic activities in favor of sustainable development.

Due to their greater vulnerability, it is essential that the economies of African countries not only give a boost their public health systems, but also meet the problems issued by the predominance of the private sector and the lack of social protection and that they initiate reforms that enable strong and sustainable growth after the crisis.

The celebration of World Consumer Rights Day in this context of health crisis and the coming of the continental free trade zone (AfCFTA), also gives us the opportunity to raise a number of issues related to the organizations of African consumers. These concerns the absence in some countries of decisions protecting consumer rights and worse still, the failure in the implementation of consumer protection mechanisms. This makes the task to we, consumer organizations much more difficulties.
Besides, very scant budgets are allocated to consumer protection in African countries.

From above all and on behalf of consumer organizations at the African level, the AUC advocates to governments and development partners to give priority to the promotion of consumer rights in Africa. If consumers are not at the center of their concerns, no development is possible without achieving the objectives for sustainable development, ( SDG 12.). Decent consumption is only possible when the conditions of production, harvesting, manufacturing, distribution are well supervised and followed by laws and competent institutions. This is why it is urgent that African countries have good laws on consumer protection and that the financial and material resources be made available for their implementation.

The African Union of Consumers (AUC) is a continental non-profit organization including African consumer associations of five (5) African sub-regions. It is a platform for discussion, consultation and action on consumer issues. Today, it has 27 members coming from 22 African countries. The head office is in Ndjamena (Chad).

Done in N’djamena, March 15, 2021

DAOUDA ELHADJ ADAM