15 April 2025
Guinea-Bissau and Lesotho have both granted operational licenses to Starlink, marking a significant milestone in the company's ongoing expansion across Africa, which commenced in Nigeria in 2022.
The licenses come at a time of rising tariffs imposed by the United States, including a recently announced 50% tariff on imports from Lesotho, which was revealed in February. In response, Samuel Matekane, the Prime Minister of Lesotho, has initiated discussions with the Trump administration to seek tariff relief and the reinstatement of development aid.
During the Third National Conference on Private-Public Dialogue, he stated, "We are actively removing barriers to US investment, addressing issues such as Starlink, energy, and hospitality investment permits."
Notably, the local law in Lesotho requires that citizens must hold shares in companies, a stipulation that does not apply to Starlink.
The operational license for Starlink in Guinea-Bissau was granted during the 22nd General Assembly of the West African Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), held in Bissau from 8-10 April to April 2025.
“Starlink is authorized to begin operations in Guinea-Bissau, as it already does in Cape Verde, Ghana, and Nigeria,” said Bamba Koté, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARN) of Guinea-Bissau.
