Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA), in collaboration with the ministry of communications and digitalisation and mobile network operators, recently began negotiations with relevant stakeholders in The Gambia to advance the implementation of the ECOWAS Free Roaming Initiative.
This latest agreement, says the NCA, aims to reduce the cost of telecommunications services for citizens travelling between Ghana and The Gambia, fostering seamless communication and strengthening economic and social ties.
Negotiations began at a high-level meeting on 19 November. Today should see the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to pave the way for MNOs to start technical and regulatory discussions. These in turn will eventually lead to the implementation and launching of the ECOWAS Roaming Regulations in the first half of 2025.
Currently, there is an existing agreement among Ghana, Benin and Togo under the ECOWAS Free Roaming Regulations. This allows citizens of these countries to enjoy affordable telecom services while travelling across borders.
Ghanaians traveling to Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Togo now use local rates in these countries for SMS and voice calls, eliminating exorbitant roaming charges. Receiving both local and international calls is free. Ghanaians can now access the internet at the same rates as residents in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Togo. The ongoing discussions in The Gambia aim to extend these benefits to citizens travelling between Ghana and The Gambia.
During his opening remarks at the meeting, Professor Ezer Osei Yeboah-Boateng, NCA's deputy director general (technical operations) and leader of the Ghana delegation, stated that the meeting is a significant step towards regional integration.
ECOWAS is a regional political and economic union of 15 West African countries. The Regulation on Roaming on Public Mobile Communications Networks in the ECOWAS Space was adopted by the Council of Ministers on 16th December 2017 with the aim to reduce the prices paid by ECOWAS citizens for the use of communication services while roaming within the community.