Europe, Middle East and Africa Antitrust Review 2027 – Egypt: transforming competition law with bold reforms and digital market oversight

Egypt is poised for a major transformation in its competition law framework with a comprehensive draft overhaul that expands regulatory scope, enhances the Egyptian Competition Authority’s powers and introduces robust administrative sanctions. Key developments include new definitions criminalising concerted practices, a presumption-based dominance test, and strengthened merger control rules. The Egyptian Competition Authority has also issued detailed guidelines addressing merger control and the unique dynamics of digital markets, highlighting concerns such as tying, predatory pricing and self-preferencing. Meanwhile, regional integration advances with COMESA’s updated competition regime, featuring stricter prohibitions, enhanced investigative powers and a formal leniency programme, signalling a more proactive and business-friendly approach to competition enforcement across Eastern and Southern Africa.