ECOWAS abolishes mobile roaming fees

The Ministers of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) of the member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have resolved to abolish mobile phone roaming fees from the beginning of 2018.

The decision – which will result in improved communication, and ease of business in the region – was reached at a meeting in the Cape Verdean capital, Praia at the weekend.

Affordable Access

According to Isaías Barreto, ECOWAS Commissioner for Information and Communication Technologies, such a decision would be very important as telecommunications costs in the sub-region are very high when compared to the purchasing power of the populations.
Barreto also said that the ICT ministers are expected to approve the Draft Additional Act on Universal Access to include internet access, aside from mobile telephony access as envisaged in the original text from 2007. Barreto pointed out that the goal is not free internet access for all ECOWAS citizens, but rather more affordable access.

About ECOWAS: The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), established in 1975, is head-quartered in the Nigerian capital of Abuja and consists of the following member states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

Source: Telecompaper