LCDB Harps on Regional Consumer Right Advocacy

League for the Consumer Defence in Benin (LCDB) has launched telecommunications services and consumer rights initiative in Africa aimed at fostering the integration of consumer rights into community legislation relating to telecommunications and ICTs.
The non governmental institution is implementing this project with the financial support of Open Society Initiative for West Africa and Benin Government, titled “Telecommunications Services and Consumers Rights in Africa.”
According to a statement by the group, the opportunity of this project implementation is based on the necessity of a new dynamic impulse to the telecommunications sector through considering consumers concerns, regarding quality and cost of services at national and regional level.
The statement said: “The several possibilities offered nowadays by the new information and communication technologies give reason for these legitimate concerns of consumers.” “One of the important activities, as part of the present project,” the statement added, “is the organisation of the consumer association regional conference on Telecommunications Services and Consumers Rights in Africa.”
According to the group, this conference held from October 22nd to 24th 2008 at Sun Beach Hotel in Cotonou, and has enabled stakeholders tackle aspects related to regional regulation on telecommunications, and to set up the African Information and Communication Technologies Consumers Network, made up of Benin, Burkina-Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.
The objective of the ongoing advocacy, the group said, is aimed at raising awareness of Ecowas leaders, Waemu, ITU and Dwab on the necessity of taking into account the 8 fundamental rights (right to essential needs, right to choice, right to warrant on the product, right to information, right to representation, right to recourse, right to education, right to safe environment) acknowledged by the United Nations in legal instruments related to telecoms and ICTs in West Africa.