Africa: WATRA Committed to Bridging Digital Divide in West Africa – Aliyu Aboki

The West African Telecommunications Regulatory Assembly (WATRA) has called for enhanced collaboration among its 16 member states to bridge the digital divide in the subregion. Established in 2002, WATRA serves as a consultative and collaborative body of telecommunications regulators in West Africa, advancing the development of telecommunications within the subregion and across Africa.

WATRA also partners with regional and international organizations to achieve its mission of rapid telecommunications development. At a recent media session, Aliyu Aboki, the Executive Secretary of WATRA, emphasized the importance of collaborative regulations and infrastructure development as key drivers for bridging the digital divide and unlocking economic growth in West Africa.

“WATRA serves as a platform for collective action,” Aboki remarked. “By harmonizing telecom policies and frameworks across member states, we can create a more unified and efficient regulatory environment that fosters investment and innovation.”

The media session highlighted WATRA’s recent successes in driving positive change within the region. Aboki noted that the assembly’s initiatives have significantly increased mobile penetration and internet subscriptions. He also pointed out that WATRA facilitates knowledge sharing and problem-solving among member countries, leading to more efficient regulatory practices.

WATRA’s focus on digitizing its processes serves as a model for member states, promoting innovation and efficiency within the regulatory landscape. In response to a question about spectrum costs, a key factor influencing service affordability, Aboki acknowledged the challenge and emphasized WATRA’s advocacy for best practices in spectrum pricing to ensure wider access and encourage investment. He also highlighted WATRA’s promotion of infrastructure sharing among telecom operators, a strategy that can significantly reduce infrastructure rollout costs.

“We ensure that countries with more advanced telecom infrastructure share their experiences and methodologies with countries that have less developed telecom infrastructure. From time to time, we bring different regulators together to discuss issues that will enhance regulations in their regions. For example, some countries do not have policies on co-location of telecom infrastructure, and WATRA has helped build the capacities of some regulators to attract investment in their telecom infrastructure rollout,” Aboki said.

Regarding roaming charges across West Africa, Aboki explained that although a roaming regulation was established in 2017, it has not been fully implemented due to various reasons, including different roaming charges imposed by various regulators and disparities in tariff charges. He emphasized the need for a uniform tariff rate for roaming charges across the region and mentioned that WATRA is working towards bilateral agreements between countries to achieve this.

Aboki argued that WATRA’s focus on regional collaboration, infrastructure development, and spectrum cost reduction positions the organization as a key driver of digital transformation in West Africa. By fostering a more integrated and efficient telecom landscape, WATRA aims to unlock the region’s vast digital potential and empower its citizens through improved access to information and communication technologies.