Published: August 4, 2025
MONROVIA — Relief is in sight for mobile users in West Africa as telecom regulators from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Côte d’Ivoire convene in Monrovia to finalize a groundbreaking agreement to ease cross-border mobile roaming costs.
The three-day conference, which begins today, aims to establish bilateral arrangements under the ECOWAS Free Roaming Regulation, allowing users to make calls, send texts, and use data at domestic rates while traveling in participating countries.
The Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) and Sierra Leone’s National Communications Authority (NatCA) are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will permit subscribers to use their home-country numbers without incurring steep roaming fees. A similar agreement with Côte d’Ivoire is expected during the event.
“Until now, when you traveled from Liberia to another ECOWAS country, Lonestar or Orange charged you significantly more for using mobile services,” the LTA stated in a pre-conference release. “Roaming can be extremely costly, especially for low-income earners.”
How the New Roaming Plan Works
Roaming allows mobile users to stay connected outside their home network. Under the ECOWAS Free Roaming framework, travelers will receive free incoming calls for 30 days and pay local rates for outgoing services while visiting signatory countries. Permanent roaming is not permitted; beyond 30 days, travelers must switch to a local SIM.
“You don’t need to take any special steps,” LTA said. “Roaming activates automatically. Just turn on Data Roaming in your settings.”
Liberian users traveling to Sierra Leone are already benefiting, while Côte d’Ivoire is poised to implement the same policy. The LTA is also pursuing similar arrangements with The Gambia and Ghana.
Consumer Protections and Awareness
Subscribers who experience unauthorized charges are urged to first contact their mobile providers. If the issue remains unresolved, users can notify the LTA, which will investigate the complaint.
LTA, in collaboration with Orange Liberia and MTN Liberia, plans to roll out a nationwide public awareness campaign to ensure subscribers understand their rights and how the roaming system works.
Limitations and Coverage
The roaming benefits apply only within ECOWAS countries that have signed bilateral agreements with Liberia. Calls or data use outside of these countries, such as the United States or Europe, are not covered under the free roaming plan.
Currently, the ECOWAS Free Roaming initiative includes 14 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
By the end of the conference, Liberia hopes to join the growing list of West African states advancing regional integration through affordable, seamless mobile connectivity.
Discussion about this post