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Meta has come under fresh regulatory scrutiny in Africa after competition authorities in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa opened a formal investigation into changes to WhatsApp Business rules that could reshape the region’s fast-growing AI ecosystem.
- African competition regulators have launched a formal probe into Meta’s policy changes to WhatsApp Business.
- The COMESA watchdog is examining whether the updated terms unfairly restrict third-party AI providers.
- The investigation spans 21 member states and could shape Africa’s fast-evolving digital economy.
- Stakeholders have been invited to submit feedback before regulators reach any final determination.
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Competition and Consumer Commission said it is examining whether updates introduced in October 2025 by Meta Platforms Ireland Limited to the WhatsApp Business Solution Terms unfairly restrict third-party artificial intelligence providers.
According to the watchdog, the revised terms may limit access for rival AI services while preserving full functionality for Meta’s own Meta AI tools. The commission warned that such a structure could potentially amount to an abuse of dominance within the 21-member Common Market, which includes major digital economies such as Kenya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Zambia.
For now, regulators stress that the move marks the start of a fact-finding process rather than a finding of wrongdoing. The commission said it will assess both the conduct and its potential market effects before reaching any conclusions and has invited stakeholders to submit written feedback by 16 March 2026.
The development adds to a growing wave of scrutiny facing the parent company of WhatsApp across Africa and beyond. In recent years, Kenyan authorities have examined major digital platforms over data practices and misinformation concerns, while Nigeria’s data protection regulator previously fined Meta over privacy violations.
Globally, the company is also navigating regulatory pressure in Europe, where the European Commission and Italy’s competition authority have been reviewing its AI integration on WhatsApp amid concerns about possible restrictions on rival chatbot providers.
The stakes are significant for Africa’s digital economy. WhatsApp remains one of the continent’s most widely used communication and commerce tools, serving millions of businesses, developers, and consumers.
Analysts say that if access to the platform becomes tightly controlled around Meta’s own AI products, startups and independent developers could struggle to reach customers through one of Africa’s most critical digital gateways.
The probe underscores a broader shift, with African regulators increasingly willing to challenge how global technology firms deploy their market power in emerging AI markets.
