The project, according to the community, was initiated by a native of Brufut who is currently based in the United States of America.
Assan Manneh, initiator of the project, said his dad, who first initiated the street light project in the other parts of Brufut, inspired him.
“He informed me about his plans to light up Brufut Central and around the cemetery”, he said.
He expressed optimism that the move would prompt other concerned citizens to follow his initiative.
Manneh lamented that 2020 was a difficult year and their goal was to bring some joy to the community by giving back to the community.
“We cannot expect government to solve all our problems”, he added.
Citizens, he went on, must take control of their own destiny by coming together to initiate meaningful development projects.
“I created a WhatsApp group and reached out to a couple of people that used to live around our area. Majority of them are all living in the Diaspora. It took us less than 10 days to collect funds, sign a contract and before you know it, the lights were lit up. A group effort is also faster than going alone”, he stated.
Manneh thanked his mother and elders as well as his group members in the Diaspora and in The Gambia for making the project a success.
“Natives of Brufut based in the United States, UK, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, and Italy contributed each an amount of money to have the 44 solar lights installed.”
Alasan Gassama, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) ABK Enterprise said, his company is focused on solar lights installation and sales as well as borehole drilling.
He indicated that they have so far covered 15 communities in the country.
Gassama thanked the community for supporting and trusting his company with the project.
Fatou Corr, Assan’s mother thanked all those who contributed towards the success of the project particularly women and youth.
She indicated that this kind of initiatives would greatly help complement government’s efforts in community development.
Lamin Bojang, a native of Brufut underscored the importance of the project, saying their target is to extend the project to other areas of the community.
The streetlight, he added, would significantly help reduce crimes and burglary related menace within the area.
