Telecommunications ministers from Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday eliminating roaming tariffs in the sub-region.
“This signing means that when you travel around CEMAC, you will no longer need to change your mobile operator and cost will be the same. It aims to reduce roaming charges for voice and mobile data services in the region, harmonize the tariff schedules for voice, short messages and mobile data services,” Cameroon’s Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Minette Libom Li Likeng told reporters after the agreement was inked in the country’s commercial hub of Douala.
“The suppression of roaming fee contributes in the reinforcement of regional integration and constitutes an important phase towards the establishment of a community telephone network,” she added.
Officials said, the measure is likely to significantly improve the daily life of citizens in the CEMAC area, provide an opportunity to strengthen the free movement of people, goods, and capital and consequently boost the sub-region’s economic recovery efforts in a post-COVID-19 dispensation.
The CEMAC is a trade agreement of currently six countries in Central Africa including Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of Congo. Enditem
