The Namibia Competition Commission (NaCC) has set out its research agenda for the 2016/17 financial year to undertake market studies in the Housing industry, franchising and the construction industry.
The research function of the NaCC is embedded in the Economics and Sector Research Division which is responsible for evaluating the economic impacts of competition cases, market investigations and policy initiatives. 
Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mihe Heinrich Gaomab II says the housing study will undertake a review into the current state of the housing sector in Namibia and existing impediments to its growth, and identifying any appropriated actions the Government might adopt in order to foster the sector's development. 
The review will also look at the role and place of regulation in the housing sector.
The Franchising Study will be carried out in conjunction with the Ministry of Industrialisation Trade and SME Development. The outcome of the study will seek to establish a basis for the development of the Namibian Franchising framework. 
"Similarly, the Construction study is aimed to examine whether the features in the construction industry distorts competition with particular emphasis on tender rigging, tender procedures ,the role of tender exemptions, market players and the level of competition and concentration in the industry. It will also try to establish if there are distortive effects on whether foreign and even foreign state owned construction companies outbid against domestic companies on the basis of subsidies or similar government support," he said.
The Commission says it is cognisant of the principles of open government, including transparency and participation in the regulatory process to ensure that regulation serves the public interest and is informed by the legitimate needs of those interested in and affected by regulation. That is why stakeholder engagement is core to our work. 
"It is imperative that market players and stakeholders embrace competition law as a policy tool to assist shape and drive the Namibian economic development and to continue supporting the efforts of the Competition Commission in enforcing the law," says Gaomab II