Description of Activities

Description: The Commission resolved to approve without conditions the acquisition by Paratus Group Holdings Limited of shares in Paratus Namibia Holdings Limited.

The acquiring group: The acquiring group is involved in the retail trading of office equipment and stationery, such as printers, copiers, and related products like paper and toner, etc., as well as servicing of the said items in Namibia.

Target undertaking: The target undertaking operates in the ICT sector and is a licensed (class comprehensive (ECNS and ECS)) operator.

Relevant market: The Secretariat, looking at the type of the merger, concluded that it is not necessary to definitively conclude on the relevant product market definition since there are no overlaps or vertical integration between the merging parties’ activities.

Merger Determination

The Commission found the proposed transaction unlikely to result in the prevention or substantial lessening of competition or result in any undertaking to acquire or strengthen a dominant position in the market and did not raise any public interest concerns.

However, as stated under section 50 of the Act, this approval does not relieve parties from complying with any other mandatory statutory approvals that any of the parties to this merger must comply with under Namibian laws.