The Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) has opened a regional consumer service center in Gbarnga, Bong County, to provide residents, community radio stations, and local internet service providers with a platform to report poor network services, lodge complaints, and process licensing and compliance requirements. The center is part of the LTA's decentralization agenda to expand its presence beyond Monrovia and improve consumer protection. This move aims to reduce the burden on rural operators who previously traveled to Monrovia to access regulatory services.
The facility was opened by LTA Board Chairman Clarence Massaquoi, who described it as a fulfillment of a commitment by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to bring government services closer to the people. Massaquoi said the center represents a practical demonstration of decentralization and an effort to address the longstanding concentration of public services in Monrovia. Local businesses, including community radio stations and internet service providers, can now complete regulatory and compliance processes in Gbarnga rather than incurring additional expenses traveling to Monrovia.
The center will strengthen the LTA's ability to independently investigate consumer complaints, assess reports of poor network performance, and verify information provided by telecommunications operators. The Board intends to gradually transfer the management of the facility to qualified residents of Bong County as part of efforts to promote local participation in the regulatory process. Community members, students, market women, civil society organizations, and youth groups will be engaged in public education initiatives to increase awareness of consumers' rights and responsibilities in the telecommunications sector.
LTA Commissioner Patrick Honnah said the opening is another milestone in the Authority's decentralization efforts since its establishment in 2007. A similar consumer service center was previously established in Grand Bassa County, with Bong County now becoming the next destination in the Authority's efforts to expand regulatory services across Liberia. The Gbarnga facility will serve consumers, local internet service providers, and community radio stations seeking assistance with complaints, licensing, compliance, and other regulatory matters.
The center will also strengthen the LTA's monitoring of telecommunications operators, particularly in the areas of service quality, network coverage, and consumer complaints. The Authority's engineering and compliance teams will use the regional presence to identify network dead zones, investigate service interruptions, and engage mobile network operators in addressing persistent connectivity challenges. The LTA has restored internet connectivity in Gbatala, Bong County, and at a school in Division 33, Margibi County, providing students with improved access to research materials and educational resources.
The LTA is working to upgrade 15 remote telecommunications towers from 2G to 4G technology to improve connectivity in underserved areas. The Authority is also encouraging Orange Liberia and Lonestar Cell MTN to share telecommunications infrastructure as a means of expanding coverage, reducing duplication, and improving the efficiency of network investments. Similar interventions will be pursued in other underserved counties, including Nimba, Lofa, and River Gee.
Bong County Senator Prince K. Moye welcomed the establishment of the regional center, describing it as a practical step toward addressing the challenges created by Liberia's highly centralized system of governance. Moye urged the Authority to ensure fair competition among mobile network operators and intensify efforts to extend coverage to communities that remain without reliable telecommunications services, citing Winukwala, a major market town along the road to Grand Bassa County, which lacks GSM coverage despite its commercial importance.
Key points
- The Liberia Telecommunications Authority opens regional consumer service center in Gbarnga to bring services closer to consumers.
- The center will provide a platform for residents to report poor network services, lodge complaints, and process licensing and compliance requirements.
- The LTA aims to expand its presence beyond Monrovia and improve consumer protection through decentralization.
