- Ghana's Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation has officially launched a bilateral Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Free Roaming initiative between Ghana and Togo and Ghana and Benin.
- According to the ministry, the launch follows the successful implementation of the ECOWAS Roaming Initiative between Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire.
This comes after Benin and Ghana, in April 2024, announced an agreement to implement free roaming following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Benin's Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority (ARCEP) and Ghana's National Communications Authority (NCA).
At the time, ARCEP stated that the two West African countries agreed to implement the memorandum on July 1, 2024.
The Free Roaming Initiative allows citizens of both countries to use mobile services in each other’s countries without incurring international roaming charges.
The ministry also stated that the launch of the ECOWAS Roaming Initiative is significant in strengthening Ghana's relationship with its neighbours, specifically Togo and Benin.
With this initiative, borders no longer impede communication, business, or social interactions. “This initiative will allow our citizens to stay connected seamlessly, without the burden of high roaming charges or the inconvenience of multiple SIMs,” the ministry said.
The ministry also stated that the agreement will waive additional fees and provide significant cost savings to citizens for the first 30 days of their stay in the visiting countries.
The Implementation Committees from Ghana, Benin, and Togo, as well as key leaders from Ghana's NCA and ARCEP Benin, were recognised for their contributions to the project.
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) from Ghana, Benin, and Togo were also recognised for their cooperation. The three countries' MNOs pledged their support for the initiative and accepted responsibility for the project's success.
Furthermore, by June 2024, the Liberian and Ghanaian telecommunications regulatory bodies began talks about free roaming between the two countries. This development is said to be the first step towards implementing a system that will charge local rates to mobile phone users in both countries while they travel.
