Working Paper
Outfits: Narrowly Tailored Laws that Harm Instead of Help

A case study of Liberia’s telecommunication laws

The telecommunications sector in Africa presents many exciting prospects to international investors—indeed many billion dollar projects are already underway across the continent. Many of the continent’s current problems can be traced to the exploitation it has experienced whilst ‘doing business’ with foreign entities in the past. Using Liberia as a case study, the author examines the legal framework governing telecommunications in Liberia. This study argues that Liberia’s current telecommunications laws prejudicially favour foreign investors to the unnecessary detriment of local interests. This study seeks to bring much needed attention to the opacity that typifies telecommunications deals and proposes detailed licensing reforms that can be easily included in future telecommunications deals across the continent.