(Ecofin Agency) - In Côte d’Ivoire, the GSM Association (GSMA), MTN, Orange, Moov, the union of telecom firms (Union nationale des entreprises de télécommunications-Unetel) and the telecom regulator (Autorité de régulation des télécommunications/TIC de Côte d’Ivoire-ARTCI) signed a collaborative protocol to fight counterfeited phones and the use of stolen ones.  

On April 16, 2019, at the launch of Mobile 360-West Africa in Abidjan, actors of the national telecommunications sector committed to providing a secure and reliable environment to mobile users in the country.  

The protocol is part off the "We Care" initiative launched by the GSMA.

In the framework of that protocol, telecom operators will upload the technical details of phones sold to Ivorians on the GSMA’s IMEI database to share it with the national and international community. That way, in case of loss, the phone can be blocked before it is used for dubious activities. This database will be updated daily.

“With this initiative, mobile operators are taking an active role to ensure a trustworthy environment for consumers through public-private collaboration… Once implemented, Cote d’Ivoire will be the first country in Sub Saharan Africa with multi-operator participation in GSMA blacklisting, essentially providing all customers with the ability to report and block lost or stolen devices across multiple networks,” explains Akinwale Goodluck, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa, GSMA.