IN a groundbreaking move that sets a new standard for African regional integration, Ghana and Burkina Faso have signed a landmark telecommunications agreement that will eliminate mobile roaming charges between the two nations, marking Ghana as the first West African country to achieve free roaming with all its neighbours.
The Memorandum of Understanding, signed during Burkina Faso’s Digital Week in Ouagadougou, represents more than a bilateral agreement – it’s a gauntlet thrown to telecommunications companies and regulators across the continent, demonstrating that affordable, borderless communication is not just possible, but essential for Africa’s digital future.
“This is about breaking down the invisible walls that have kept our people apart,” declared Suleman Salifu, Deputy Director General for Technical Operations at Ghana’s National Communications Authority. “We’re proving that when African nations prioritise their citizens over profit margins, transformative change happens.”
The agreement will allow millions of travellers, traders, families, and business people moving between Ghana and Burkina Faso to communicate at domestic rates – making calls, sending messages, and accessing data without the punitive roaming charges that have long hindered cross-border connectivity. For the countless families separated by colonial borders and the vibrant trade networks that define West African commerce, this represents economic liberation and social reconnection.
“Burkinabé travellers in Ghana and Ghanaian nationals in Burkina Faso will now communicate as if borders don’t exist,” said ARCEP Executive Secretary Patrice Compaoré. “This agreement doesn’t just reduce costs – it strengthens the bonds between our peoples and our economies.”
Ghana’s achievement in establishing free roaming with all neighbouring countries – Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo – positions the nation as a regional pioneer in telecommunications policy. The message to other African nations is clear: if Ghana can do it, so can you.
The agreement directly challenges telecommunications operators across Africa who have long profited from exploitative roaming charges while citizens of neighbouring countries – often just kilometres apart – face crushing communication costs. With implementation and testing set to begin immediately and services launching in April 2026, this partnership demonstrates that regulatory courage and political will can overcome industry resistance.
Present at the historic signing were Ghana’s Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Hon. Samuel George, and Burkina Faso’s Minister of Digital Transition, Posts and Electronic Communications, Dr Aminata Zerbo/Sabane, alongside representatives from mobile network operators who will now be held accountable to this new standard of service.
As Africa pursues continental free trade and digital transformation, Ghana and Burkina Faso have shown the way forward. The question for the rest of the continent is simple: Who will follow their lead?
