Angola’s competition regulator, the Autoridade Reguladora da Concorrência (ARC), has imposed a fine of nearly €6,800 on the Câmara dos Despachantes Oficiais de Angola (CDOA) for illegal price-fixing, the authority announced on Friday.
At issue is the adoption of a minimum fee schedule for customs clearance services, which the ARC determined to be “restricting competition in the market by preventing customs brokers from freely setting their own prices”.
The schedule, which fixes prices for services related to import and export processes, was approved at an extraordinary general assembly of the CDOA in December 2022.
According to the ARC, the CDOA, as the representative body of official customs brokers, “eliminated the freedom of each of its members to autonomously determine their respective prices and reduced competition in the relevant market”.
The regulator’s decision orders the “revocation of the fee schedule and the immediate cessation of the practice”, with the aim of ensuring free competition and market-based price formation in the sector.
The ARC underscored that “competition allows consumers to benefit from more competitive prices, better service quality, and greater innovation”.
The regulator found that the imposition of mandatory minimum values reduced the ability of brokers to compete on price, limiting clients’ freedom of choice and distorting market functioning.
The ARC had previously ordered the suspension of the fee schedule through an interim injunction, which included its removal from all CDOA communication channels and the notification of the decision to official customs brokers.
Despite the notifications, the CDOA reportedly failed to comply with the interim measure, prompting the regulator to extend its duration and impose a compulsory financial penalty to enforce compliance.
Following the ruling, the CDOA is required to inform its members and the public that prices for customs clearance services must be set “autonomously and independently, without concertation or imposition by professional associations”.
The Chamber must also demonstrate compliance with all measures to the ARC within 30 days.
The ARC noted that customs clearance services play a significant role in international trade and the Angolan economy, and described the decision as “an important precedent to ensure that professional and business associations operate in accordance with competition rules”.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/09/14/mundo/angola/angola-arc-multa-camara-dos-despachantes-oficiais-por-fixacao-ilegal-de-precos/
