The COMESA Court of Justice together with the COMESA Competition Commission attended the 12th Annual Law Conference of the Law Association of Zambia held at Avani Hotel in Livingstone, Zambia from 23 to 26 May 2025 under the theme “Law, Innovation and Economic Development: Spotlighting the mining sector”. The opening ceremony was officiated by Honourable Paul Kabuswe, the Minister of Mines and Minerals Development, and graced by the Minister of Justice, Honourable Princess Kasune.

The Conference had breakout sessions where panellists had discussions on various topics including public interest and development law; commercial/legal practice; asset declaration in Zambia; how lawyers can support Chinese investors and investments; modern trends in criminal justice in Zambia; and the role of military lawyers in economic development.

The COMESA Court of Justice and the COMESA Competition Commission jointly conducted exhibitions to raise awareness and visibility of the respective organ and institution of the Common Market among the Zambian lawyers.

In addition, the COMESA Court of Justice and the COMESA Competition Commission participated in a panel session moderated by Mr Sydney Chisenga, Managing Partner at Corpus Legal Practitioners. On behalf of the COMESA Court of Justice, Honourable Registrar Nyambura L. Mbatia, made a presentation on “The jurisdiction of the COMESA Court of Justice, regional integration and the opportunities for cross-border legal practice for lawyers”. Her presentation was supported by the Legal Officer, Ms Mutinta Chinganya-Mulenga as a discussant.

On behalf of the COMESA Competition Commission, the CEO, Dr Willard Mwemba made a presentation on “Why lawyers should have an interest in competition law enforcement”. His presentation was supported by the Director, Mr Boniface Makongo as a discussant.

The two presentations were aimed at highlighting the opportunities for lawyers in Zambia to expand their legal practice beyond the Zambian jurisdiction to the whole COMESA region. The presentation recognised the critical role that Zambian lawyers can play in developing jurisprudence and in regulating competition and consumer practice within the COMESA region.