AU calls for reduction of international roaming rates in Africa

The African Union (AU) has criticised the high cost of mobile roaming between African countries.

The AU Commission’s ICT Policy Officer, Auguste Yankey said that the high costs were affecting economic growth on the continent, and they are working with national regulators to cut those costs.

He said Africa has emerged as the new hub for the development of mobile technologies. "Countries such as Kenya have developed innovations that have made positive socio-economic improvements to the lives of ordinary citizens," he said.

Kenya’s Information Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said that the need for cross border trade makes the reduction of Africa’s roaming cost imperative.

"In our view the best way to find the reasonable cost for the roaming is to conduct a continent wide study," he said.

Matiang’i noted that Kenya’s largest trading partners are its east African neighbours.

"So there is an urgent need to ensure that roaming within the trading bloc is not prohibitive to consumers," he said.

The cabinet secretary urged African countries to explore the use of market incentives that will lead to a significant reduction in the price of international mobile roaming.

"However, we don’t want to create an erratic policy environment that will disadvantage investors in the telecom sector,” he said.