The Commission authorised the acquisition of Kulimba Cement Limited by Lafarge Cement (Malawi) Limited. The assessment of the proposed merger established that the transaction would marginally change the market share of the acquirer from 27% to 28%.
It was also established that, while the transaction would result in a change of the market structure by reducing number of players in the market, it would not substantially lessen competition in the relevant market. The investigation further revealed that the transaction would safeguard jobs the target firm, which was in financial distress. The investigation did not find any substantive negative public concerns post-merger.
Based on these findings, the Commission authorised the proposed takeover; without any conditions.