The Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Ministry of Information and Communication last week launched the inspection infrastructure including radio stations, telecommunications networks, and information technology training centers.

The exercise aims to examine activities, progress, and challenges facing the infrastructure in supporting freedom of expression and access to information in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State and bordering states.

In a statement to Radio Tamazuj last Tuesday while in Akoong Boma of Malual Baai Payam, the Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Minister of Information and Communication, Garang Zachariah Lual, said he decided to undertake the tour to acquaint himself with all issues about information and telecommunications in the state. 

According to the minister, the ongoing construction works of the Zain telecommunication tower in the Akoong area will be concluded after one month and urged the engineers to speed up their operations to ensure that the facility is established on time.

“As the newly appointed minister of information and communication, I started the tour in Aweil East County to inspect all the information and telecommunications infrastructures and finally we arrived at our last destination which is Akoong Boma in Malual Baai Payam of Aweil East County where the Zain telecommunications tower is under construction and within one month it will be operationalized,” Lual said.

The national and state governments’ rural connectivity policy will allow the locals to connect with people in the outside world, and their loved ones, and promote marketing activities through communication, said the minister.

“Bringing services to the people is not always easy but as the government, we have to do it in a small way and I hope we will be able to get the network coverage to our people,” he stated. “Our national ministry of information, communication, and postal services and the ministry of information and communication in the state has a policy of rural connectivity because there are a lot of benefits when we connect the people with the outside world, they will use the telephone to call their loved ones where they are and they will also use the internet.”

The Paramount Chief of Luo Aguer Geng Community, Yel Aguer Geng, applauded President Salva Kiir Mayardit for fulfilling his service delivery promise during his greater Bahr el Ghazal trip in March 2023.

“The people of Akoong are so happy and we thank the president of the Republic of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit because he approved the telecommunications networks in the Akoong and Peth areas according to the promises he made,’’ Chief Aguer said.