Supporting businesses and regulators across Africa to advance fair competition, consumer protection, and responsible commerce.
AdLegal is an African regional competition and consumer protection law practice group dedicated to addressing unfair market conduct, anti-competitive mergers, and practices that undermine consumer welfare. Our work focuses on advancing fair competition, strengthening consumer protection, and combating commercial fraud through strategic litigation, advisory services, and policy advocacy.
We are committed to promoting a deeper understanding of the profound economic and social harm caused by commercial dishonesty and anti-competitive practices. In pursuit of this mission, we collaborate with consumers, businesses, independent experts, civil society and synergy organizations, international law firms and specialized practice groups, self-regulatory bodies, and government agencies to develop and advance effective legal and policy countermeasures that prevent, deter, and remedy market abuses across the African economy.
We are headquartered in Uganda and operate primarily across the COMESA and East African Community (EAC) regions.
Following legal action by AdLegal against Meta Platforms, Inc. for abuse of dominance through the exclusion of third-party AI chatbots from WhatsApp Business, the COMESA Competition Commission established a prima facie case and issued a formal notice of investigation into Meta’s conduct in the relevant market within the COMESA region.
Following legal action by AdLegal against WhatsApp LLC and Meta Platforms, Inc. for violations of data privacy, challenging WhatsApp’s 2021 Privacy Policy, a ruling was issued directing the companies to comply with Uganda’s data protection and privacy laws, adhere to cross-border data transfer regulations, and conduct comprehensive DPIAs and LIAs.
Following legal action by AdLegal, Uganda’s largest television broadcaster has been ordered by the Communications Regulator to immediately halt illegal advertising practices. In addition, the regulator issued an industry-wide directive requiring all broadcasters to cease the use of such practices with immediate effect.
30 - 31 July 2026
In January 2026, AdLegal lodged a competition complaint with the COMESA Competition and Consumer Commission, challenging Meta’s amendments to the WhatsApp Business Solution Terms that bar third-party AI chatbot providers from accessing WhatsApp across the COMESA region.
We filed a complaint with Uganda’s Data Protection Office against WhatsApp LLC, citing violations of the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019. The complaint challenges WhatsApp’s 2021 Privacy Policy, which mandates data sharing with Meta companies without users’ consent.
AdLegal submitted formal comments to Uganda’s Broadcast Regulator on the proposed transfer of licenses from MultiChoice Uganda and GOtv Uganda to Groupe Canal+, addressing key competition law and public interest considerations.
We filed a competition complaint against Google Uganda and Google LLC for monopolistic control and anti-competitive practices in Uganda’s Android market, citing restrictive agreements with local manufacturers, MiOne Phones Uganda and SIMI Mobile Uganda.
The Global Competition Review (GCR) featured Adlegal’s complaint in relation to legal action against Meta filed before the COMESA Competition Commission, addressing Meta’s abuse of dominance through its new policy that locks out competing AI chatbots on WhatsApp Business.
The Daily Monitor Newspaper reported on the AdLegal case filed before the COMESA Competition & Consumer Protection Commission against Meta challenging amendments to the WhatsApp Business Solution Terms which exclude third-party AI chatbot providers from accessing WhatsApp across the COMESA region
We published and launched Uganda’s first-ever Policy Comment Report on Digital Markets Competition Regulation—a pioneering tool that analyzes five core digital markets shaping the country’s economy and offers forward-looking recommendations for future regulation.
We published a report condemning telecom companies for expiry data bundles and unexplained data depletion—practices that are unfair and violate the right to internet access. Our findings were later echoed and reinforced by the Daily Monitor Newspaper, which also called out these exploitative practices.
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