The 16th Meeting of Focal Points of National Regulatory Authorities on the implementation of the ECOWAS Regulation on Roaming concluded in Praia, Cabo Verde, on November 28, 2024. The two-day meeting aimed to evaluate the progress in implementing Regulation C/REG.21/12/17 on Roaming for Public Mobile Communications Networks within the ECOWAS region. This regulation seeks to reduce tariffs for mobile voice, SMS, and internet services for Community citizens traveling within West Africa.
During the opening ceremony, statements were delivered by several key figures. Mr. João da Luz Ramos, Director-General for Telecommunications at Cabo Verde's Ministry of Digital Economy; Ms. Folake Olagunju, Acting Director for Digital Economy and Post representing ECOWAS Commissioner Mr. Sédiko Douka; Mr. Aliyu Yusuf Aboki, Executive Secretary of the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly; and Mr. Fofana Lanciné from Côte d’Ivoire's Regulatory Authority all emphasized roaming services' importance to regional economic growth.
The meeting validated progress by Member States in reducing roaming tariffs through bilateral agreements among Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, and Mali. The Gambia and Sierra Leone are also advancing toward launching community roaming services to extend these benefits further across the region. Additionally, progress was acknowledged in Cabo Verde's efforts to align their roaming service tariffs with regional regulations.
Furthermore, participants refined a draft framework for fraud management collaboration related to the regulation's implementation and agreed on a plan for continued coordination among NRAs to advance implementation efforts into 2025.
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