Tech conglomerate Meta is under fresh regulatory scrutiny in Africa as the COMESA Competition & Consumer Commission opens an investigation into allegations that the firm abused its market dominance by restricting rival artificial intelligence providers from accessing WhatsApp’s business platform.
The watchdog, which oversees competition across the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, disclosed in a notice dated February 17 that it is examining whether the company’s Ireland-based subsidiary breached Regulation 36 of the bloc’s 2025 Consumer Protection Regulations that prohibit dominant firms from engaging in exclusionary conduct.
According to the commission, the probe follows a complaint lodged by campaign group AdLegal International, which accused the technology giant of leveraging its market power to stifle competition in the fast-growing AI sector.
In the notice, the commission’s chief executive, Willard Mwemba, stated that authorities received information indicating that Meta unilaterally revised its WhatsApp Business Solution Terms on October 15, 2025, in a manner that excluded providers of general-purpose AI services from using the WhatsApp Business Application Programming Interface, while continuing to integrate its own artificial intelligence tools.
He noted that the regulator has “reasonable cause to suspect” that the company holds a dominant position in the relevant market and that the policy change could significantly reduce competition by cutting off AI providers from what it described as a crucial gateway for reaching customers.
The commission has therefore called on industry stakeholders, service providers and other interested parties to submit representations on the matter on or before March 16, 2026, as part of its formal review process.
The investigation comes amid a broader wave of global regulatory pressure on the social media and technology firm over issues ranging from data privacy to platform practices. Last October, the company also resolved a dispute with the Nigerian Data Protection Commission, underscoring the intensifying scrutiny it faces across multiple jurisdictions.
Analysts say the outcome of the COMESA inquiry could shape how digital platforms operate across regional markets, particularly as African regulators increasingly assert authority over multinational technology companies.
