000			02364nam a22001577a 4500
999			_c514567 _d514567
008			201113b ||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
100			_aNaude, T. _921131
245			_aFragmentation versus convergence of consumer law within one legal system and across legal systems: An African perspective
260			_aJournal Of Consumer Policy
300			_a43(1), Mar, 2020: p.11-34
520			_aThe theme of fragmentation versus convergence of consumer law has relevance for Africa, inter alia because the African Continental Free Trade Area is foreseen to become a single continental market. Fragmentation of consumer law within one legal system and across legal systems is inevitable. Several types of hyper-vulnerable consumers require special protection. Drafters and interpreters of consumer legislation should remember that the majority of African consumers are hyper-vulnerable. Consumer legislation attuned to this reality needs special reference to the needs of such consumers. More resources should be allocated to the protection of hyper-vulnerable consumers, including through proactive enforcement. The informal economy may require some special rules, but the rules on quality of products should mostly remain the same. More resources should be targeted at enforcing safety standards and rooting out counterfeit goods and creative ways found to bring consumers in the informal economy under the protection of consumer law. Fragmentation of sources of consumer law in Africa and at the level of enforcement agencies is also considered. Even if rules are harmonized across legal systems, fragmentation is inevitable, inter alia due to different interpretations by local agencies. An attempt at some convergence has benefits, but cogent arguments against harmonization exist. Some realities in the Global South militate against harmonization. There is greater potential for some level of harmonization where there is a real cross-border interest, such as in e-commerce, travel, and tourism. When convergence is considered, the reasons behind current divergence should be researched to establish the potential for convergence. – Reproduced
650			_aAfrican consumer law, Harmonization, Vulnerable consumers, Information economy, Sulf law, Africa _919314
773			_aJournal of Consumer Policy
906			_aCONSUMER LAW - AFRICA
942			_cAR