African Contemporary Policy Advances in Sustainable Consumer Protection

This paper explores sustainable consumer protection policies in Africa in search of contemporary policy advances that can serve as bases or platforms for policy discussions within the African Union. Such a discussion platform is particularly pertinent in light of the African Union's resolution to establish a free trade zone, which should promote increased movement in consumer goods between countries on the continent. Using purposive sampling, requests for copies of Acts and policy documents were sent to twelve UNCTAD member-states in Africa. These documents were content analysed using the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection. Five specific policy advances were identified: policy mechanisms incorporating sustainable consumption provisions; definitions which should clarify what constitutes unsustainable practices; product safety definitions to include products produced unsustainably; government directives which defined and set minimum standards on sustainability; and creating enabling policy conditions to encourage the growth and establishment of consumer organisations to educate consumers about sustainable consumption. These policy advances offered useful ideas that can be integrated into consumer protection policies and reflected the realities of the African consumer market.