By Joseph Momoh, Reporter, Daily Scope
Sierra Leone’s National Communications Authority (NatCA) has announced the rollout of free roaming services for travelers within West Africa, in line with the ECOWAS Roaming Protocol and the Abidjan Protocol. This initiative aims to lower the cost of cross-border telecommunications and enhance connectivity for Sierra Leonean travelers visiting select countries in the region.
The Abidjan Protocol facilitates roaming agreements between Sierra Leone and five ECOWAS member states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, and Togo. Under this agreement, travelers can receive calls free of charge for the first 300 minutes. After reaching this limit, standard roaming charges will apply.
In addition, the ECOWAS Free Roaming Protocol extends benefits to travelers in Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, and Liberia, allowing Sierra Leonean visitors to receive calls free for up to one month. This effort aligns with ECOWAS’s broader goal of promoting regional integration and enhancing mobility.
Roaming Activation and Charges
To activate roaming services, users can dial the following short codes:
- Africell: *235#
- Orange: *266#
Calls made by visitors to local numbers will be billed at local rates, while data services will also incur local charges. However, calls to non-local SIMs will attract international rates. Notably, the cost of outgoing calls will be borne by the caller at the local rates of the host country.
NatCA praised the contributions of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in facilitating the implementation of the ECOWAS Roaming Protocol and reiterated its commitment to collaborating with operators to expand free roaming benefits across all ECOWAS member states. According to an official statement, “NatCA will continue to engage stakeholders to ensure that roaming benefits are fully realized across West Africa.” The Authority emphasized that this initiative supports regional integration, economic cooperation, and affordability in telecommunications.
This development is poised to benefit travelers, business professionals, and ECOWAS citizens who depend on efficient cross-border communication, further advancing the objectives of the ECOWAS Digital Agenda.
For more information, contact Daily Scope Newspaper at dailyscopemedia@gmail.com.
