More than 2,000 residents in the Bole District have been connected to the rural telecommunication network, ending years of communication challenges in the connected community.
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‎The project, a collaboration between the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) and a private firm, Rema Ghana Limited, intends to connect two rural communities in the district to improve communication and access to information.

According to the technical engineer for Rema Ghana Limited, Prince Danquah, the initiative aims to connect about four rural communities to the network to enhance communication, improve access to information, and boost local economic activities.

Prince Danquah urged the beneficiary community to ensure proper maintenance of the surroundings of the facility to continue to enjoy uninterrupted mobile and data connections.

‎"I can strongly say they are on service today; from today on, they will be on service forever. I will take this opportunity to thank the members of parliament and also the president and the youth of this community, who, as we came into work, gave us the necessary support, and we are able to achieve a common goal," he stated.
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‎Speaking at the commissioning of the facility, the Member of Parliament for Bole-Bamboi, Yussif Sulemana, said he was elated to connect the community to the telecommunication network despite several years of rejection by the erstwhile government.

‎"I was in opposition for eight good years, and I asked several questions and wrote letters to the then minister responsible for communication, and I never heard any response. Today, by your decision to retain and bring back President John Dramani Mahama and me, we are able to bring you what you asked for," he stated.
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The MP urged residents to continue to support the government, noting that more development interventions are in the pipeline for the district.

‎"It is a dream that has come to pass. It was a campaign pledge that we have been able to redeem, and we ask them, for that matter, the people of Gbenfu, especially the youth, should have faith in the NDC, to have faith in the President. Your decision to bring us back is bearing fruit."

Beyond telephony, the MP also focused on education during the tour. He inspected ongoing renovation works on a dilapidated school structure at Gbenfu and Manful, both in the district.
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‎Mr Yussif said the deplorable nature of the school necessitated the renovation and assured residents of the government's commitment to expanding and improving educational standards in the district.

"I want to assure the community that President John Dramani Mahama, the DCE, and I are committed to ensuring that education is well taken care of, and so this community is going to benefit from this structure."

The Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Alhaji Yusif Sulemana, outlined some measures to curtail the shortage of teachers and further create employment in some of the constituencies.

"Let me announce that in Gbenfu here we're going to recruit 5 young men who graduated from SHS and are waiting to get jobs to assist in teaching in the school."

"It is not going to be only in Gbenfu; all other places where we lack teachers, we want to engage the SHS graduates. Some have graduated from the universities and are still looking for jobs in the interim; they would like to give back to society."

The District Chief Executive of Bole, Abdullah Mahamud, disclosed that several communities are also benefitting from the same initiative, and "thanks to the hard-working member of parliament and his ability to navigate through all these hard times, today we are here to witness this network."

"‎It is not only here, but several of the communities are also bound to enjoy such a network, so continue to have faith in us that we will deliver on our promises to the good people of Ghana."
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‎Meanwhile, beneficiary residents expressed relief at the new connectivity, saying it will boost communication with family, improve emergency response, and support business transactions that previously required long-distance travel.
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‎The assemblyman for the Gbenfu Electoral Area, Abdulai Kassim, on behalf of the residents of Gbenfu, welcomed the new developments taking place within the electoral area to ease communication and improve access to education.

"At first, if you came here, you could stand outside and see inside the headteacher's office because the wall was very cracked."

"Classrooms were standing for goats and sheep to enter whenever school closed. Pupils didn't feel like coming to school again because of the nature of the facility. I think for now we are very grateful for the opportunity we have gotten today."
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‎The new telephony and education are expected to serve Gbenfu and adjoining communities.