Speaker details

Biography

Leonard Otuonye Ugbajah has over 18 years of extensive experience in advising national governments, regional institutions, and private sector stakeholders across Africa on competition law, consumer protection law and international/regional trade, making him a highly respected authority in these niche legal areas. Leonard holds an LLM in Competition Law and a Postgraduate Diploma in International Business Law—with a concentration in WTO law—both from the University of London. Additionally, he earned a Master's degree in International Affairs and Strategic Studies from the Nigerian Defence Academy, specialising in international trade relations under the WTO framework. Leonard’s legal foundation includes professional training at the Nigerian Law School and an LLB from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where his acclaimed thesis addressed Nigeria’s initial competition legislation efforts. Leonard’s career is distinguished by his pivotal roles in formulating and reforming competition and consumer protection frameworks across Africa. He significantly contributed as a consultant in developing Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 and was solely responsible for drafting national competition and consumer protection legislation for Liberia and The Gambia. Leonard also provided crucial technical support in the drafting of Sierra Leone’s competition bill. In 2023, he led critical competition law reforms for Rwanda under the EU-Africa-RISE programme, drafting comprehensive guidelines on market definition, restrictive agreements, abuse of dominance, administrative penalties, and leniency. Currently, Leonard serves as a Council Member at the ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority (ERCA), contributing extensively to regional competition policy and enforcement. His previous notable roles include a seconded competition expert at ERCA under EU-TAF support to AfCFTA Implementation. Leonard has also delivered extensive capacity-building programmes for regulators, policymakers, and industry stakeholders across multiple jurisdictions. Before transitioning to specialised consultancy, Leonard gained valuable practice experience with two respected Abuja-based law firms and managed his own general practice partnership until 2017. An influential voice in policy dialogues, Leonard frequently authors analyses and delivers keynote speeches on competition policy, regional integration, and trade regulation. He founded the Centre for Trade and Business Environment Advocacy (CTBA) and the Competition Policy and Law Africa Network (CPLAN), reflecting his commitment to strengthening competition frameworks across Africa.