The West African Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA) this week moved ECOWAS’s free-roaming agenda from policy pledge to practical reality, as Monrovia hosted the launch of free roaming between Liberia and Sierra Leone alongside the signing of a roaming memorandum of understanding between Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire.

Over three days, regulators and operators worked through anti-fraud protocols, regulatory alignments, and technical documentation – efforts that culminated in live service for travelers between Liberia and Sierra Leone and a framework to extend the same benefits to Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire. Under the ECOWAS model, now active in several member states, roaming customers enjoy free incoming calls for up to 30 days, with outgoing voice, SMS, and data charged at local rates.

“Two major wins for regional connectivity: free roaming is now live between Liberia and Sierra Leone, and an MoU has been signed between Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire,” said Aliyu Yusuf Aboki, Executive Secretary of WATRA. “These steps bring real benefits to ordinary citizens, traders, transporters, and others – making communication across borders easier and more affordable.” Aboki has been driving WATRA’s push for a unified digital market to unlock investment and simplify cross-border services.

The Monrovia agreements mark a shift from isolated bilateral pilots to a growing corridor of seamless roaming, a prerequisite for cheaper connectivity, smoother mobility, and more reliable commerce in West Africa. With Liberia–Sierra Leone now live and Liberia–Côte d’Ivoire in the pipeline, officials expect more country pairings as operators finalize interconnect and settlement arrangements.

Seamless roaming is more than a convenience; it is a foundation for regional cooperation, enabling trade, tourism, and cross-border collaboration to thrive. By removing one of the region’s most persistent barriers to affordable communication, West Africa is laying the infrastructure for a truly interconnected market – one where people, goods, and ideas can move more freely in support of the region’s broader economic ambitions.

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