Liberia has regained its voting rights in the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) after securing a waiver of more than US$400,000 in outstanding membership obligations, ending restrictions that had prevented the country from fully participating in decisions affecting Africa's telecommunications sector.
Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) Chairperson Clarence K. Massaquoi disclosed that Liberia owed the continental telecommunications body more than US$500,000 when President Joseph Nyuma Boakai assumed office in January 2024.
Speaking at the LTA's Consumer Support Center in Gbarnga, Bong County, Massaquoi said the unpaid obligations had reduced Liberia to observer status at international telecommunications meetings, preventing its representatives from exercising voting rights.
According to him, the authority's current Board of Commissioners negotiated a waiver exceeding US$400,000, while the government settled the remaining balance, restoring Liberia's membership privileges.
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"We took the LTA from left side of the number line to a recognized institution. The LTA was not qualified to vote in international meetings. That means our international status was questionable," Massaquoi said.
He attributed the restoration to negotiations conducted by the current board and efforts to settle the country's international obligations.
However, Massaquoi did not disclose the exact amount paid by the government or when Liberia's voting rights were formally restored.
The LTA chairperson also announced plans to establish infrastructure supporting Liberia's country-code top-level internet domain within the country.
He said the initiative is intended to strengthen local management of internet-related services and reduce dependence on foreign infrastructure arrangements.
Massaquoi acknowledged that implementation would require technical work but did not provide a completion date or estimated cost.
Meanwhile, he disclosed that the LTA was implementing a program to connect 156 public high schools across Liberia to high-speed internet.
According to him, approximately 10 schools remain to be connected under the initiative.
Massaquoi also emphasized the need for competition among telecommunications operators, arguing that communities served by only one company often have limited alternatives when experiencing poor service quality.
"If you have only one option, then even if it is not of high quality, you have no option," he said.
He called for expanded access to competing services from telecommunications operators, including Lonestar Cell MTN and Orange Liberia.
Meanwhile, LTA Commissioner for Consumer, Public Affairs and Universal Access Patrick Honnah said the establishment of the Gbarnga Consumer Support Center forms part of efforts to decentralize the authority's operations.
Honnah noted that the LTA, established in 2007, had operated primarily from Monrovia for nearly two decades.
He explained that the center would allow subscribers outside the capital to file complaints, seek regulatory assistance and resolve disputes involving telecommunications companies without traveling to Monrovia.
Honnah also disclosed plans to map radio stations operating in Bong County to strengthen regulatory oversight and facilitate licensing services.
He said the exercise would help identify broadcasting institutions and provide regulatory services closer to their locations.
Additionally, Honnah announced that the authority's Universal Access Program was deploying technical teams to expand telecommunications connectivity in underserved communities.
As part of the initiative, he disclosed that 15 telecommunications towers in remote areas were being upgraded from second-generation (2G) to fourth-generation (4G) technology.
He also said the LTA was working on arrangements to enable Lonestar Cell MTN and Orange Liberia to share telecommunications tower infrastructure.
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The proposed arrangement would allow operators to provide services using shared facilities rather than constructing separate towers in every community.
Meanwhile, Bong County Council Chairperson Aaron Sackie-Fenlah welcomed the establishment of the consumer center but urged the authority to strengthen measures against telecommunications-related fraud.
Sackie-Fenlah called on the LTA to ensure that mobile network operators address fraudulent activities carried out through their platforms.
He expressed concern about individuals using telecommunications services to defraud subscribers and requested stronger consumer protection measures.
For his part, Bong County Sen. Prince K. Moye appealed to the LTA to construct a telecommunications tower in Gbenequelleh, Electoral District 1.
Moye said the community requires improved network coverage and urged the authority to consider the area under its telecommunications expansion program.
