The County Commissioner of Aweil Centre County in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state on Saturday said that his area lacks key infrastructure including mobile phone network coverage and also is undergoing a shortage of teachers.

None of the mobile phone companies – Gemtel, MTN or Zain – set up coverage in Aweil Centre County, though they did throughout other counties of the state.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Saturday, Aweil Centre Commissioner Arkanjelo Acu Dechak said the lack of telephone coverage at the county headquarters Aroyo makes it difficult for him to run the county effectively, especially in emergencies such as insecurity.

The commissioner said he does not know the reasons why the county lacks network. “I cannot accuse someone for being behind the issue,” he said.

“I had raised a complaint to the concerned ministry, the State Ministry of Telecommunication and Information.” But he says he was told that the decision lay with the company itself, and usually depended on the factor of population.

“When I raised the complaints to the ministry, I was told that the ministry cannot give orders to companies to construct network in a place of no interest,” he said.

However, an official in the state telecommunications ministry said the area may have mobile coverage ‘within a few months.’

The ministry’s director general Joseph Kon admitted lack of mobile telephone network in Aroyo area, adding, “We have already constructed the tower and within a few months the network in Aroyo will start working right away.”

The county’s isolation is increased by the failure to construct all-season roads between the headquarters Aroyo and the state capital Aweil. Construction by African Kongdai company was interrupted, apparently because of the crisis.

Floods are expected to cut off some payams from Aroyo within the coming months.

Arkanjelo noted also that his county has seven primary schools in seven payams but lacks teachers because of the low monthly salaries. There is no secondary school within the county.