Cheaper calls and data coming for travellers crossing Benin-Burkina Faso border

Telecommunications regulators from Benin and Burkina Faso signed a bilateral roaming agreement in Ouagadougou on 23 October 2026. The deal is intended to make calls, text messages and mobile internet access more affordable for people crossing the border between the two countries.

Key facts

• Signed: 23 October 2026, in Ouagadougou
• Who signed: the telecommunications regulatory authorities of Benin and Burkina Faso
• What it covers: mobile roaming for calls, SMS and internet access
• Who benefits: travellers, particularly merchants, students and transporters
• Also involved: Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal are part of the wider set of commitments
• No start date or pricing has been announced in the agreement

What is a roaming agreement?

Mobile roaming lets a user keep their usual SIM card while abroad by connecting through a partner operator's network in the other country. The agreements are designed to lower the cost of calls, SMS and internet use for travellers, with merchants, students and transporters singled out as key beneficiaries.

Who else is part of these commitments?

The signing forms part of a series of commitments that also involve Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal to make mobile communications easier between the countries concerned. For Benin, the partnership with Burkina Faso extends initiatives already under way with Mali, Togo and Côte d'Ivoire, said Cédric Balo, a representative of the Beninese regulator.

An agreement between Benin and Togo was announced in October 2023, with new pricing set to take effect from 1 January 2024.

What still needs to be done?

The ceremony was presided over by Burkina Faso's Minister of Digital Transition, Aminata Zerbo/Sabané. She urged regulators and operators to keep coordinating to implement the agreed provisions and to inform consumers about the services available, their conditions of use and the procedures to follow if problems arise.

The West African Economic and Monetary Union Commission has asked for specific implementation timelines, transparent pricing and quality control of services. It also wants progress measured through operational bilateral links, applied tariffs and service usage.

What this means for travellers

Travellers crossing between Benin and Burkina Faso can expect cheaper roaming for calls, SMS and mobile data once the agreement is implemented, but no start date or tariff details have been published. Anyone planning to use their home SIM card in either country should watch for announcements from the two regulators on pricing and service conditions.

No date has been given for when the new roaming arrangements will take effect. Regulators and operators must now organise implementation and inform users, and the regional commission is awaiting concrete timelines and pricing.