Thursday, July 31, 2008

MEET PARLIAMENTARY WOMEN IN THE RACE (PAGE 11)

The Government Spokesperson on Infrastructure, Mrs Catherine Ablema Afeku, was overwhelmingly elected as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary aspirant for Evalue-Gwira in the Western Region.
Mrs Afeku polled 73 votes, as against 13 by her other contestant, Madam Dorcas Amoah, at the parliamentary primary held at Axim recently.
Talking about her plans for the constituency as an aspiring member of parliament, Mrs Afeku said it was her desire to institute a scholarship scheme for needy children in the constituency, when given the nod to go to parliament.
She also said she intended to mobilise resources from public-spirited individuals and organisations to put up a community library in the area to encourage children to use their leisure periods profitably to enrich their knowledge.
According to the parliamentary aspirant, another area of great interest to her is the development of tourism in the Nzema area which has a lot of tourists sites , to offer employment to unemployed youths and also open up the area.
She described her chances in the forthcoming parliamentary election as bright, indicating that she would intensify her campaign to unseat Mr Kojo Armah, the incumbent Convention People’s Party (CPP) MP.
Mrs Afeku said her election as a parliamentary aspirant for the NPP had brought to an end the marriage of convenience between the NPP and the CPP in the constituency, and appealed to the rank and file of the party to rally strongly behind her to enable her to achieve her vision for the party and the constituency.
She also asked the constituents to vote for her and the NPP presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, during the December 7 general elections.
Mrs Afeku suggested that the three parliamentary candidates in the constituency should meet for a debate to enable them to share their vision with the people, and advised that the electioneering in the area should be fair without any aspirant resorting to insults and pronouncements that bred bitterness and rancour among the people.


THE National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary nominee for Sekondi, Ms Hildagad Betty Bosomtwe-Sam, has indicated her resolve to work harder this time round to take the seat from the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentarian.
She said she would intensify her campaign to ensure that the NDC won massive votes in the constituency in both the parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for December.
Ms Bosomtwe-Sam, who contested the seat on the ticket of the NDC and lost in the 2004 parliamentary elections, said when given the nod to represent the constituency in Parliament, she would work in co-operation with property owners and the Metropolitan Assembly to develop the area.
She indicated that she would make every effort to bring private investors to Sekondi to enhance the development of the housing and transport sectors and also seek sponsorship to organise skills training programmes for the youth for gainful employment.
She said the people of Sekondi and the Western Region in general were very hardworking and so investors would not regret if they invested in the area.
There was the need to accelerate the pace of development in the area through research and proper planning.
She said one of the important areas that needed attention was the Sekondi Market, Phase II of the Bosomtwe-Sam Fishing Harbour, and the Essikado Boat Yard, as well as the development of lorry stations within Sekondi for vehicles to load from there to Tarkwa, Cape-Coast, Axim, Accra, Kumasi and other parts of the region and the country.
She said all these could be done through proper planning and working in co-operation with stakeholders to ensure the right things were done.
She said conditions at vibrant spots such as Club 51, Times Square, Gyandu and Rex Cinema and Cauri Youth Centre needed to be improved, while Fort Orange needed to be developed to better tell the story of the city to visitors.
The parliamentary nominee is a product of University of Education, Winneba, and Holy Child Training College, Takoradi.

No comments: