ECOWAS Telecommunications Regulators Meet to Evaluate Progress of the Implementation of the Regional Regulation on Roaming

In a bid to assess the progress made in the implementation by mobile operators in the region, the ECOWAS Commission convened a meeting of focal points from the NRAs in Abuja, Nigeria on 12^th and 13^th October 2023. The meeting of the NRAs was preceded by a training sponsored by the Smart Africa Secretariat to reinforce the capacity of the focal points on their understanding of international mobile communications and roaming ecosystem. The training was delivered from 9^th to 11^th October 2023.

In her address to the meeting, Ms Folake Olagunju, Principal Program Officer for Internet & Cybersecurity, on behalf of the Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation, Mr. Sédiko Douka, recalled the obligation of the ECOWAS Commission to monitor and report on the implementation of the Regulation, as well as to support Member States in the technical aspects of its implementation. She stated that the implementation of the Regulation is a priority for the region as an essential complement to the protocol on free movement of persons and expressed the commitment of the Commission to continue supporting Member States towards its effective application for the benefit of the travelling public. She admonished the focal points to step up current efforts in addressing and eliminating persistent bottlenecks and make further progress for the benefit of the travelling public.

Mr. Aliyu Yusuf Aboki, Executive Secretary of the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA) with his remarks painted a vision of a West Africa where everyone has access to affordable and seamless telecoms services regardless of location and stated that the ECOWAS Regulation on Roaming is an essential vehicle for the achievement of this vision. He reminded the meeting of the role the Regulation in the facilitation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, bringing together the African countries of the opening of the African market for trade in goods and services, including ICT goods and services and digital trade. He therefore admonished Member States to continue collaboration towards addressing the persistent challenges.

Mrs. Thelma Efua Quaye, Director for Digital Infrastructure, Skills, and Empowerment at the Smart Africa Secretariat, informed the meeting of the mission of Smart Africa, which is to drive Africa’s digital transformation agenda through a bold and innovative multi-stakeholder approach. The meeting, she said, is one of such multi-stakeholder collaborations which the Secretariat was proud to be associated with. She encouraged participants to take key lessons from the training being provided to accelerate the implementation of free roaming in West Africa and expressed readiness of Smart Africa to continue supporting towards this end.

Mr. Fofana Lanciné of the Regulatory Authority of Telecommunications of Côte d’Ivoire (ARTCI), and Coordinator of the Technical Committee of Focal Point of NRAs commended Member States for the will demonstrated to ensure the effectiveness of the implementation of the Regulation and their commitment to the reduction of sub-regional communication rates for the benefit of citizens. He noted that whiles challenges still exist with the full application of the Regulation, these can be overcome through effective involvement, ownership and collaboration of all NRAs. He commended the support of the Smart Africa Secretariat through the training provided which he said will provide insights that will be relevant in the deliberations of the focal points.

During the meeting, a dashboard highlighting the implementation status in each Member State was validated. Technical solutions for the establishment of infrastructure for cost effective exchange roaming traffic within the region were also reviewed. The focal points reaffirmed the approach of working bilaterally to ensure the application of the Regulation by all Mobile Operators in their respective jurisdictions. To facilitate this approach, the ECOWAS Commission was encouraged to maintain a repository of all bilateral agreements signed between Member States in the framework of the implementation of the Regulation, to be used as a reference for other Member States which are ready to begin the process. The meeting also agreed to explore the development of guidelines that elaborate on the Regulation, and which can be followed by NRAs to facilitate the implementation.