The Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (GCCPC) has expressed strong opposition to the recent decision by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) to introduce price regulation on internet data services. The move comes after an intense period of competition among the country’s GSM operators, which had driven data prices down to historically low levels.
In an undated statement issued on Wednesday, the Commission noted that for many years, Gambian consumers have faced some of the highest data prices in the sub-region with little to no regulatory oversight. “Recently, increased competition and innovation among operators have provided welcome relief, driving data prices to their lowest levels ever and making them more affordable for vulnerable consumers and small businesses,” the Commission stated.
The GCCPC warned that the introduction of price regulation risks undoing these gains, arguing that consumers will be denied the full benefits of open market competition. “Such regulatory interventions risk undermining the gains of open market rivalry, where businesses compete on price, quality, and service innovation to the benefit of consumers,” the statement said.
While acknowledging concerns about network quality during the competitive pricing period, the Commission emphasized that raising consumer prices through regulation does not address underlying structural and investment challenges in the sector. “Raising consumer prices through regulation punishes consumers instead of addressing structural and investment issues within the sector. This approach is not only regressive but also disproportionately harms vulnerable consumers,” the statement added.
The Commission further stressed that sustainable investment in network quality should not come at the expense of consumer welfare. “Operators have a duty to compete responsibly, innovate, and reinvest in their networks, while the regulator must ensure compliance with network quality standards. The Commission, therefore, strongly condemns the price regulation and calls on the regulatory authority to rescind this policy in favor of approaches that promote both affordable pricing and quality improvement,” it said.
Highlighting its role in safeguarding consumer rights, the GCCPC asserted that consumer protection is grounded in fairness, equity, and justice.
“The true test is how well it safeguards the most vulnerable, not how comfortably it serves the elite. The GCCPC, as the competent authority on competition and consumer protection, remains open to constructive engagement with all sector regulators to ensure that regulatory outcomes are pro-competition, pro-consumer, and pro-development but will not hesitate to challenge regulatory actions that undermine these principles,” the statement concluded.
