(Togo First) – Togo, Benin, and Senegal have reached a new milestone in regional digital integration, implementing a significant reduction in roaming communication costs. The three countries officially launched community roaming services on Friday, April 24, 2026, in Lomé, the Togolese capital, announcing the implementation of two bilateral agreements with harmonized content: one between Togo and Senegal, and the other between Senegal and Benin. This took place on the sidelines of the 23rd Annual General Meeting of ARTAO.
Signed in Dakar in December 2025, these agreements, presented in their key points by Amah Vinyo Capo, Director of Markets and Data Regulation at ARCEP Togo, during the ceremony, represent a first in the region: two separate agreements, but aligned with identical provisions, reflecting a commitment to progressive harmonization across the Association of Telecommunications Regulators of West Africa (ARTAO).
“Today, we are taking another step forward, removing an additional barrier to enhanced digital mobility and consolidating our regional integration. In the digital age, electronic communications have become essential, vital. They bring people closer together and support economies, but one obstacle remained: the high cost of mobile roaming. Today, this obstacle disappears in the most significant way possible. Thanks to free roaming between Togo and Senegal, and between Senegal and Benin, roaming citizens will be able to communicate freely; “as if they were at home,” said Michel Yaovi Galley, Director General of ARCEP-Togo.
At the heart of the system, the objective is clear: to lower roaming charges for consumers on the go. Specifically, the agreements include regulations on the rates for international calls, local calls, and mobile data, with capping mechanisms designed to prevent overcharges.
Beyond the pricing aspects, these agreements are part of a broader ambition to harmonize roaming policies in the region, it was noted. With this new agreement implemented with Senegal, Togo brings the number of partner countries for free roaming to seven, including six agreements already in operation, it was learned.
An expected impact for consumers
For consumer organizations, these advances represent a concrete response to the difficulties encountered by users when traveling.
“Consumers primarily expect operators to actually implement the commitments made,” stated Emmanuel Sogadzi, President of the Togolese Consumers League (LCT).
Regulators also emphasized the scope of the agreement. Hervé Coovi Guedegbe, Executive Secretary of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Postal Services of Benin (ARCEP Benin), explained that the primary objective is to “make communications accessible beyond borders,” ensuring continuity of service for mobile users.
Dahirou Thiam, Director General of the Telecommunications and Postal Regulatory Authority of Senegal, echoed this sentiment. Present at the launch ceremony in Lomé, he highlighted the expected benefits for consumers of the community-based free roaming initiative, particularly the significant reduction in roaming charges.
Moreover, this approach appears to reflect a dynamic of integration within the regional telecommunications market, through the facilitation of service continuity and cost reduction.
S.A.
Published on: April 25, 2026