West African states vow to end roaming charges

In preparation for this new policy, the communications ministry in Ghana is consulting with the finance ministry and plans to announce the removal of the current 6% surcharge on all incoming international calls for all ECOWAS traffic.

Ghana’s communications minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful confirmed the introduction of the ECOWAS Roaming Initiative and said: “All ECOWAS countries are working to put in place the necessary legal and administrative framework by December 31, 2019.”

She said the current roaming charges are responsible for low volumes of traffic resulting reduced tax revenue to government.

“Due to the high cost of roaming charges, many people currently practice ‘plastic’ roaming (by buying a local SIM) or use OTT (over-the-top) services on Wi-Fi networks.”

According to Owusu-Ekuful the ECOWAS Roaming Initiative will enhance revenue generation in the ECOWAS corridor and remove barriers to communication for subscribers.