The protection of consumers of financial services has attracted a lot of debates following the global financial crisis of 2007 to 2009. As a result, there have been series of reforms in a number of jurisdictions across the globe. Despite this development some countries still lag behind and Nigeria is no exception. This study examines the problems of consumer protection in Nigeria, with specific reference to the bank consumers. The aim is to consider whether the Nigeria consumer protection regime provides "sufficient protection to bank consumers and whether it should be reformed". The study also focuses on the role of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in consumer protection, its dispute resolution mechanism and the practical challenges. The test of sufficiency will be analysed and discussed, using 'consistency', 'efficiency' and 'accessibility' in order to illustrate the existing weaknesses in resolving consumer dispute. The approach in this study is doctrinal analysis. In all, the findings suggest that there is need, to reform the consumer protection regime in the banking sector and enforce laws which will address issues highlighted in the study to enable the users of banking services in Nigeria to obtain an appropriate level of protection through regulatory processes. This study, therefore, also provides a comparative analysis between United Kingdom and Nigeria, using current consumer protection framework in the United Kingdom in making proposals for the needed reforms in Nigeria. The study thus concludes with the recommendation that the current Nigerian consumer protection regime does not offer adequate protection; hence protecting consumers require a holistic approach which includes effective consumer protection framework, enforcement, coordination and cooperation from different stakeholders.

Insider trading on the JSE can be linked, directly or indirectly, to the reputation of the South African financial market. The regulation thereof is essential and a non-negotiable requirement for the successful attraction and retention of investment flows. Inadequacies associated with the regulatory framework regulating insider trading, the onus of proof in a criminal trial and the lack of civil remedies associated with insider trading as a form of market abuse, motivates a critical analysis into the regulatory framework on insider trading in South Africa. The aim of this study is therefore to identify international best practice principles to fill the gap in South Africa’s regulatory framework. This gap relates to the practical application and execution of legislative and other instruments in order to combat insider trading as a form of market abuse. A further aim focuses on the simultaneous development of the legislation relating to financial markets in conjunction with developments in the economy. A final aim is to determine whether and how South Africa can improve its current legislative dispensation on insider trading. In order to arrive at the aim of the study the historical development on the regulation of insider trading is discussed. A critical analysis of the relevant insider trading sections in the Securities Services Act 36 of 2004 is compared with the corresponding sections of the Financial Markets Act 19 of 2012. A discussion on the roles, duties and authority of the Financial Services Board, the Directorate of Market Abuse and the Enforcement Committee will assist in analysing these organisations' contribution in regulating insider trading in South Africa. A look into the application of other regulatory instruments including the JSE’s Code of Conduct is required. In order to determine whether and how South Africa can improve its current legislative dispensation on insider trading, a comparative study is conducted with Hong Kong. It is submitted that the South African regulatory framework on insider trading has to be revised in order to align with international best practice principles and to promote transparency of the JSE, promote investor confidence and ensure justice for all. / LLM (Import and Export Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Insider trading on the JSE can be linked, directly or indirectly, to the reputation of the South African financial market. The regulation thereof is essential and a non-negotiable requirement for the successful attraction and retention of investment flows. Inadequacies associated with the regulatory framework regulating insider trading, the onus of proof in a criminal trial and the lack of civil remedies associated with insider trading as a form of market abuse, motivates a critical analysis into the regulatory framework on insider trading in South Africa. The aim of this study is therefore to identify international best practice principles to fill the gap in South Africa’s regulatory framework. This gap relates to the practical application and execution of legislative and other instruments in order to combat insider trading as a form of market abuse. A further aim focuses on the simultaneous development of the legislation relating to financial markets in conjunction with developments in the economy. A final aim is to determine whether and how South Africa can improve its current legislative dispensation on insider trading. In order to arrive at the aim of the study the historical development on the regulation of insider trading is discussed. A critical analysis of the relevant insider trading sections in the Securities Services Act 36 of 2004 is compared with the corresponding sections of the Financial Markets Act 19 of 2012. A discussion on the roles, duties and authority of the Financial Services Board, the Directorate of Market Abuse and the Enforcement Committee will assist in analysing these organisations' contribution in regulating insider trading in South Africa. A look into the application of other regulatory instruments including the JSE’s Code of Conduct is required. In order to determine whether and how South Africa can improve its current legislative dispensation on insider trading, a comparative study is conducted with Hong Kong. It is submitted that the South African regulatory framework on insider trading has to be revised in order to align with international best practice principles and to promote transparency of the JSE, promote investor confidence and ensure justice for all. / LLM (Import and Export Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This thesis examines the role of the media in the Kurdistan Region focusing on developments since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003 in order to identify the challenges which have faced journalists there, and the construction of national identity and the potential opportunities which this sector presents for shaping public opinion and strengthening the nascent democracy in the region. After tracing the history of the Kurdish media against the broader backdrop of Iraq, using an interdisciplinary approach, this thesis analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the Kurdish media, with particular reference to regulation, examining the Press Law (2008). It concludes with a series of recommendations regarding the growth and development of new opportunities in the Kurdish media. In addition, it will present arguments to support the urgent need to develop a legal and regulatory framework which is fit-for-purpose for the media in this style democracy.

Magister Legum - LLM / This study aims to evaluate the prospective benefits and challenges of developing a regional competition regulatory framework in SADC. Further, the study seeks to identify important lessons from the EU and COMESA that are crucial for the pursuance of a regional competition regulatory framework.

Over the years, the electronic letters of credit evolved as one of the developments to meet the international trade demands coupled with the exponential technology advancements of the current times which whetted an appetite for superfluous trade and competitiveness in the trade industry. Just like legal discrepancies pursuant to the use of the letter of credit in international trade, this too demanded some legal architecture to govern its utilization. However, unlike the traditional letters of credit, there are more legal stumbling blocks concerning this form of letters of credit. The primary legal constraints being, lack of legal recognition by the courts because of their nature (being data messages); lack of recognition in the laws of contracts (digital signatures, digital contracts), public perception more especially most of the developing countries, who because of lack of technology, resources and skilled man power, lacked knowledge on the advantages of technology advancement. So, the study interrogates the legal implications of an electronic letter of credit in the international trade transactions using Botswana as a case study. Importantly, it investigates the completeness and sufficiency of the legal regimes in Botswana to enable operation of the electronic letter of credit. The conclusions are that the Botswana e-legislation drafts so far are complete as regard to the legal principles enabling electronic transactions. It also argues that the laws are comprehensive enough, receptive to the electronic documents including the upcoming developments in technology and more importantly, the fact that it provides a level playing field for all the players by protecting the rights of the users of electronic transactions in general. / tm2017 / Centre for Human Rights / LLM / Unrestricted

The overall need for the Kudu Gas Project is for Namibia to meet its projected electricity demand and to export excess power to neighboring countries. As the Namibian population grows and the economy develops so does the increase in the demand for electricity and the current generation capacity is below the demand needed and this has led to Namibia importing approximately over 50% of its electricity demands from other utilities in the region, primarily Eskom of South Africa. The development of operations of the Kudu gas field would therefore be imperative for the energy supply goals of the country as it is also in line with the main targets of the Namibia white paper on energy policy aiming towards reducing electricity imports and achieving security of electricity supply in Namibia. Although the Kudu gas field was discovered in 1974, today in 2018 which is 44 years later, gas operations have still not commenced. This raises a point of concern as to what the possible delay to the project is, accordingly this paper focused on establishing how legal risks may have contributed thereto by assessing how legal risks affect offshore upstream gas operations. This was done by conducting a legal risk analysis of the legal framework that governs legislative and contractual upstream gas risk and determining what the consequences of these risks are towards the development of the Kudu gas project. It was established that that legal risk can hamper the development of offshore upstream operations quite negatively if legal compliance to the regulatory requirements are not adhered to, however, from the information available at the time this study was done, the Kudu gas project complies very well with regulatory requirements and the project delay is not linked to legal risks. The paper observed that other risks to the project, namely market and financial risk may be the underlying cause of the project delay. As oil and gas operations are plagued with various risk and constant increases in regulatory pressure the recommendations of this paper were directed towards the establishment of a risk management process for the Kudu gas project which will identify and monitor risks and implement risk responses that have been established by internal risks controls to mitigate and avoid the stern consequences that come with no- compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. / Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Public Law / LLM / Unrestricted

This thesis examines the role of the media in the Kurdistan Region focusing on developments since the fall of Saddam Hussein¿s regime in 2003 in order to identify the challenges which have faced journalists there, and the construction of national identity and the potential opportunities which this sector presents for shaping public opinion and strengthening the nascent democracy in the region. After tracing the history of the Kurdish media against the broader backdrop of Iraq, using an interdisciplinary approach, this thesis analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the Kurdish media, with particular reference to regulation, examining the Press Law (2008). It concludes with a series of recommendations regarding the growth and development of new opportunities in the Kurdish media. In addition, it will present arguments to support the urgent need to develop a legal and regulatory framework which is fit-for-purpose for the media in this style democracy.

A energia eólica é uma das fontes de energia renovável mais promissoras e que cresce mais rapidamente em todo o mundo. O uso da energia eólica pode contribuir para reduzir as emissões de gases de efeito estufa derivados da queima de combustíveis fósseis. Estima-se que o Brasil dispõe de um significativo potencial eólico offshore na sua Zona Econômica Exclusiva de cerca de 1,78 TW. Entretanto, um dos fatores limitantes para o desenvolvimento da energia eólica offshore no Brasil é a inexistência de um marco regulatório. O marco regulatório é uma condição essencial para atrair investimentos no setor e permitir o desenvolvimento do potencial latente. Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar princípios e experiências regulatórias brasileiras e internacionais para subsidiar o debate na formulação de instrumentos normativos com vista a inserção da energia eólica offshore no Brasil. O estudo apresenta um panorama do estado da arte e das tendências tecnológicas para geração de energia eólica offshore que ajuda a compreender como a construção e operação de usinas pode provocar impactos socioambientais e conflitos no espaço oceânico. Uma síntese do conceito de potencial eólico é elaborada, e as rendas econômicas do recurso eólico offshore são analisadas ressaltando-se a necessidade de atuação do Estado na arbitragem de sua extração e distribuição. Por meio da investigação do arcabouço jurídico-regulatório brasileiro, e com uso da metodologia descritiva, constatou-se que não há instrumentos capazes de dar suporte ao desenvolvimento de parques eólicos offshore no Brasil. A partir da análise de princípios e experiências regulatórias brasileiras em geração de energia eólica onshore, geração de energia hidrelétrica, exploração e produção de petróleo e gás natural, e, em geração de energia eólica offshore do Reino Unido, Alemanha, Dinamarca, Holanda, Bélgica, China e Estados Unidos, foram elaborados quadros de referências para servirem de base para o caso do Brasil. Em conclusão, princípios dos modelos brasileiros para outorga de usinas hidrelétricas; princípios do modelo de exploração e produção de petróleo e gás natural, assim como das experiências internacionais em energia eólica offshore aderentes ao ambiente institucional do Brasil, podem ser adotados na formulação de instrumentos jurídicos e normativos com vista a inserção da energia eólica offshore no país. / Wind power is one of the most promising and fastest growing renewable energy sources in the world. The use of wind power can contribute to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels. It is estimated that Brazil has a significant offshore wind potential in its Exclusive Economic Zone of about 1.78 TW. However, one of the limiting factors for the development of offshore wind power in Brazil is the lack of a regulatory framework. The regulatory framework is an essential condition to attract investments in the sector and allowing the development of latent potential. This study aims to analyze Brazilian and international regulatory principles and experiences to support the debate in the formulation of normative instruments for the insertion of offshore wind energy in Brazil. The study presents an overview of the state of the art and technological trends for offshore wind power generation that helps to understand how the construction and operation of power plants can cause socio-environmental impacts and conflicts in the ocean space. A synthesis of the concept of wind potential is elaborated, and the economic rents of the offshore wind resource are analyzed emphasizing the necessity of State action in the arbitration of its extraction and distribution. Based on the investigation of the Brazilian legal-regulatory framework and by using the descriptive methodology it was verified that there are no instruments capable of supporting the development of offshore wind farms in Brazil. Based on the analysis of Brazilian principles and regulatory experiences in onshore wind power generation, hydroelectric power generation, oil and natural gas exploration and production, and in offshore wind power generation in the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, China, and United States, frameworks of the conceptual references were developed to serve as a basis for the case of Brazil. In conclusion, principles of the Brazilian model for the grant of hydroelectric plants; principles of the Brazilian model for oil, and natural gas exploration and production, as well as of the international offshore wind experiences adhering to the institutional environment of Brazil, can be adopted in the formulation of legal and normative instruments aiming the insertion of offshore wind power in the country.

A discussão jurídica versa acerca da proteção ou não dos dados clínicos e informações não divulgadas Data Package, obtidos através de pesquisas clinicas, a partir do desenvolvimento de um novo medicamento. È importante realizar-se uma investigação prévia para descobrir se o novo medicamento a ser comercializado, possui efeitos benéficos ou adversos, que possam afetar os seres humanos, garantindo assim a eficácia e a segurança de sua utilização. O dossiê contendo os dados clínicos é submetido à Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária que, no uso de sua atribuição específica, e em função da avaliação do cumprimento de caráter jurídico-administrativo e técnico-científico relacionado com a eficácia, segurança e qualidade do medicamento conforme a Lei 6360/76 e o Decreto 79.094/77 determina o registro sanitário. A tese defendida pelas sociedades farmacêuticas de pesquisa é a de que seria vedado à ANVISA deferir registros de medicamentos genéricos e similares de mesmo princípio ativo, com base nas pesquisas clinicas realizada, enquanto vigente o período de exclusividade, com fundamento no artigo 5, inciso XXIX da Constituição Federal, artigos 39.1, 39.2, 39.3 do Acordo sobre Aspectos dos Direitos de Propriedade Intelectual Acordo TRIPS, artigo 195, XIV da Lei n 9.279/96 (Lei da Propriedade Industrial), artigo 421, 884, 885 e 886 do CC, artigo 37, caput, da CF e artigo 2, da Lei 9.784/99 e aplicação analógica da Lei 10.603/2002. A ANVISA ao permitir aos fabricantes dos medicamentos genéricos e similares a utilização do pacote de dados clínicos, fornecido pelo titular do medicamento de referencia, estaria promovendo a concorrência desleal e parasitária, ao permitir que as versões genéricas e similares, ingressem no mercado, sob custos de produção e comerciais substancialmente menores, do que os praticadas pelos medicamentos de referencia. Este argumento tem fulcro na norma do artigo 39.3 do Acordo TRIPS firmado entre os membros da Organização Mundial do Comércio OMC, em 1994, no qual o Brasil é signatário, e que se comprometeram a adotar providências no sentido de manter em sigilo e protegidos contra o uso comercial desleal os dados clínicos relativos à pesquisa clínica, necessários à aprovação da comercialização de produtos farmacêuticos. A divulgação, exploração ou a utilização dos dados clínicos, sem a autorização do respectivo titular, o qual demandou recursos materiais e humanos consideráveis e desde que estas informações tenham sido apresentadas a entidades governamentais como condição para aprovação da comercialização de um medicamento, devem ser protegidas. Os Estados membros da OMC e subscritores do acordo internacional devem assegurar que os concorrentes não tenham acesso às informações recebidas pelo ente estatal, que não as explorarem ou delas possam aferir indevidamente tanto direta quanto indiretamente de vantagens que as beneficiem do conhecimento técnico-cientifico, investimentos e esforços realizados pelo titular daquela pesquisa clínica. Dentro deste cenário, faz-se necessário que o Estado produza um marco regulatório capaz de prover uma segurança jurídica, que permita as sociedades farmacêuticas disponibilizar elevado investimento, viabilizando a realização de pesquisa clinica e introdução de novos medicamentos. / The legal discussion can be the protection or not of clinical data and undisclosed information "Data Package", obtained through clinical research, from the development of a new drug. It is important to carrying out a preliminary investigation to find out if the new drug to be marketed, has beneficial or adverse effects that may affect humans, thus ensuring the efficacy and safety of its use. The file containing the clinical data is submitted to the National Agency for Sanitary Vigilance the use of a specific assignment and depending on the assessment of compliance with juridical - administrative and technical-scientific relation to efficacy, safety and quality of the product as Law 6360/76 and Decree 79.094/77 determines the sanitary registration. The claim made by the pharmaceutical research companies is that it would be forbidden to ANVISA grant records to generic and similar drugs with the same active , based on clinical research conducted while force the exclusivity period , on the basis of Article 5 , XXIX of the Federal Constitution , articles 39.1 , 39.2 , 39.3 of the Agreement on aspects of Intellectual Property Rights - TRIPS Agreement , Article 195 , XIV Law 9.279/96 ( Industrial Property Law ) , Article 421 , 884 , 885 and 886 CC , Article 37 , caput, of the Federal Constitution and Article 2 of Law 9.784/99 and analogical application of Law 10.603/2002. ANVISA to allow manufacturers of generic drugs and the like using the package of clinical data , supplied by the holder of the reference drug, would be promoting unfair competition and parasite by allowing generic versions and the like, join in the market under cost production and trade substantially smaller than those committed by drug reference. This argument has the fulcrum in the standard of Article 39.3 of the TRIPS Agreement entered among the members of the World Trade Organization - WTO in 1994 , in which Brazil is a signatory, and pledged to take steps to keep confidential and protected unfair commercial use clinical data related to clinical research, necessary for approving the marketing of pharmaceutical products. Dissemination, exploitation or use of clinical data, without the consent of the holder, which demanded considerable material and human resources and since this information has been submitted to governmental entities as a condition of approving the marketing of a medicinal product shall be protected. The WTO members and subscribers of the international agreement should ensure that competitors do not have access to the information received by the state entity, which do not exploit them or may wrongly assess both direct and indirect benefits for the benefit of the technical-scientific knowledge, investment and efforts made by the owner of that clinical research. Within this scenario, it is necessary that the State produces a regulatory framework capable of providing legal certainty, which allows pharmaceutical companies to provide high investment, allowing it to perform clinical research and introduction of new medicines.