ARCEP Togo: Consumer rights defenders made aware of ionising radiation

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Extract from the article: On Tuesday 11 July 2023, in Lomé, the Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et des Postes (ARCEP) raised awareness among active members of consumer rights associations in Grand-Lomé about protecting the public from non-ionising radi

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On Tuesday 11 July 2023, in Lomé, the Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et des Postes (ARCEP) raised awareness among active members of consumer rights associations in Greater Lomé about protecting the public from non-ionising radiation emitted by radioelectric installations. The meeting was organised in collaboration with the Martin Luther King Movement (MMLK), the Togolese Consumers' Association (ATC) and the Togolese Consumers' League (LCT). The participants also discussed the quality of electronic communication services and the solutions put in place by ARCEP. 

Non-ionising radiation is radiation whose electromagnetic energy is insufficient to ionise atoms or molecules. The lower the frequency, the less energy the waves carry. Most of the radiation we use every day (radio, mobile phones, microwaves, etc.) is non-ionising.

The aim of this training course is to familiarise participants with the measures adopted by ARCEP to ensure consumer protection in Togo. They will also learn about the various procedures for consumer complaints and claims against all operators.

The aim of the training is to familiarise participants with the measures adopted by ARCEP to ensure consumer protection in Togo.They will also learn about the various procedures for lodging consumer complaints and claims against all operators.

The meeting provided participants with information on ARCEP's remit and the sometimes complex issues and challenges associated with mobile electronic communications.  The participants were able to consolidate their knowledge through modules such as: tariff framework principles, the protection and defence of consumer rights and interests, quality of service indicators, alert and complaint mechanisms and their handling.

Francis Pêhèssi Tabati, Head of ARCEP's Litigation and Consumer Protection Department, pointed out that ARCEP has sophisticated equipment for better monitoring of companies' services.He urged consumer associations to report any malfunctions via the "8000" toll-free number. « Consumer rights defenders have an important role to play.   It is therefore important for active members of consumer rights associations to familiarise themselves with complaints procedures and the actions taken to protect consumers. They learned about the procedure for imposing penalties on operators who fail to comply with their specifications, as well as the issue of quality of service », he said.

For Benetti Benetti Gagalo, Vice-Chairman of the Association Togoalise des Consommaturs (ATC), « the aim for ARCEP and the consumer defence associations is to improve and strengthen the representativeness of consumer organisations within the country, so that they have a truly national base,  to raise awareness of the mechanism and process for alerting and referring complaints to the Regulatory Authority, and to increase the culture of consumer complaints both at ARCEP and at the level of consumer organisations ».

Equipped in this way, the beneficiaries will be in a better position to disseminate this information within their communities in order to effectively escalate complaints to the Regulator.

Article 65-w of Law 2012-018 of 17 December 2012 on electronic communications, as amended by Law 2013-003 of 19 February 2013, entrusts the regulatory authority with the task of dealing with all matters relating to the protection of consumer interests. It is within this framework and to carry out this mission of consumer protection that ARCEP has allied itself, through a partnership framework agreement, with associations working for the defence and protection of consumer interests.

On Monday 10 July 2023, representatives of the communes of Greater Lomé also received training on the same theme. The protection and defence of consumer rights and interests is one of the most important prerogatives of the Regulatory Authority.The meeting was part of the national information and awareness-raising tour, which began on 19 June 2023 and ended on 11 July 2023.

William O.