BAT agrees to pay $110 million after Nigeria antitrust probe
British American Tobacco Plc’s Nigerian units have been fined $110 million by the nation’s antitrust agency for violating various laws including the tobacco control act.
The Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission levied the fine after a three-year probe into practices at the cigarette maker, the agency said in a post on X.
The maker of Lucky Strikes agreed to pay the fine and will allow the commission to monitor its activities for two years to “ensure appropriate behavioral and business practices modification,” according to the statement.
The cigarette maker abused its “dominance, seeking to frustrate competitors, penalize retailers for providing equal platforms for product display of competitors,” the agency said.
The company in its 2022 annual report mentioned about the investigation, a spokesperson for British American Tobacco (Nigeria) Ltd. said in a statement to Bloomberg.
“BAT Nigeria acknowledges the mentioned monitorship and awareness campaigns and has cooperated fully with the FCCPC’s appointed service providers,” the spokesperson said.
One out of 10 Nigerians smoke daily making the nation home to the highest number of smokers in Africa, according to a research published by BMC Public Health.
