The Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) has opened a Consumer Support Center in Gbarnga, Bong County, expanding access to telecommunications regulatory services and bringing consumer protection closer to residents in Liberia’s central region. The facility is expected to help consumers resolve complaints against service providers without travelling to Monrovia. It will also provide local support to telecommunications operators, internet service providers and community radio stations on licensing, engineering and regulatory compliance. Speaking at the opening, LTA Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, Public Affairs and Universal Access, Patrick Honnah, described the centre as an important step towards improving consumer protection and strengthening regulatory oversight. “Our role is to regulate and demand performance from service providers,” Honnah said, adding that every consumer deserves attention, regardless of how much they spend on telecommunications services. He said the centre would also strengthen inspections and compliance monitoring of operators and radio stations in Bong, Lofa and Nimba counties. The LTA plans to extend the initiative to Lofa County next year, building on its earlier establishment of a similar Center in Buchana, Grand Bassa County.

LTA Board Chairman Clarence Massaquoi said the decentralisation program, supported by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr., is intended to make the Authority’s services more accessible across the Country. He noted that some community radio stations have struggled to meet regulatory requirements partly because of the cost and difficulty of travelling to Monrovia to obtain licences and other documents. Bong County Senior Senator Prince Moye welcomed the initiative, saying residents had long called for telecommunications regulatory services to be brought closer to their communities. He also urged mobile network operators to compete fairly and prioritise customers. The opening brought together members of the LTA Board of Commissioners, County Officials, Representatives of MTN and Orange, Motorcyclists, Market Women and Civil Society Organisations. The expansion forms part of the LTA’s broader effort to decentralise its operations, improve consumer services and ensure telecommunications providers remain accountable for the quality of services delivered to Liberians.