Togo and Burkina Faso signed a bilateral free-roaming agreement in Lomé. This partnership marks a major step forward in regional telecommunications cooperation. This agreement, which will enter into force on May 30, 2025, will allow users in both countries to communicate without additional roaming charges while traveling.

Free-roaming agreement details

The agreement covers voice calls, text messages, and internet data, with concrete benefits for travelers:

• Free calls for the first 30 days of their stay in the partner country.
• Outgoing calls at the national rates of the country visited, incurring the usual roaming surcharges.
• Pricing transparency for consumers, aligned with the national standards of both countries.

Context and regional cooperation

This agreement is part of a regional strategy in which Togo has already established similar partnerships with Benin, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali. Discussions with Burkina Faso, initiated in 2023, were relaunched in March 2025 during a working visit by a Burkinabe delegation to Lomé. The regulators of the two countries (ARCEP-Togo and ARCEP-BF) also signed a partnership agreement to strengthen their technological and regulatory collaboration.

Challenges and perspectives

The ministers responsible for digital technology from both nations, Cina Lawson (Togo) and Aminata Zerbo-Sabane (Burkina Faso), emphasized the importance of harmonizing regional standards to improve service quality. Togo shares its expertise in data-driven regulation, exemplified by its monitoring center, which enables real-time monitoring of network quality.

Next Steps

In addition to free-roaming, the two countries are considering collaborations in key areas such as biometric identification, payment interoperability, and cybersecurity. These initiatives aim to accelerate digital transformation and economic integration in West Africa.

This agreement embodies a shared political desire to reduce digital barriers and promote mobility within the region.

Economic Impact of the Togo-Burkina Faso Free-Roaming Agreement

The free-roaming agreement between Togo and Burkina Faso is expected to have multidimensional effects on the local economy, although the precise mechanisms require post-implementation monitoring.

1. Stimulation of cross-border trade and commerce

The elimination of additional communication costs will facilitate informal and formal economic exchanges between the two countries. Small traders, carriers, and service providers will be able to coordinate their activities without tariff barriers, thus strengthening regional value chains.

2. Attractiveness for investors and economic operators

The harmonization of telecom regulations (via ARCEP-Togo and ARCEP-BF) creates a predictable environment for investors in the digital sector. This collaboration could serve as a model for other structural reforms, such as the interoperability of mobile payments, a key issue for financial inclusion in West Africa.

3. Strengthening the productivity of key sectors

Professionals (logistics, tourism, services) will benefit from a reduction in operational costs related to communications, improving their competitiveness. This dynamic is similar to that observed in free trade agreements, where the removal of non-tariff barriers boosts sectoral productivity.