Kofi Okyere Agyekum, MP- Fanteakwa South Constituency.
The Member of Parliament for Fanteakwa South Constituency in the Eastern Region, Kofi Okyere Agyekum, popularly known as Arafat, has dismissed the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 24-hour economy policy as mere rhetoric, urging the public not to take it seriously.
He argued that no government institution in the country is capable of operating 24 hours, particularly schools and the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
He further explained that no parent would allow their child to attend school at 10 p.m. and return in the morning, and the same logic applies to all 261 MMDAs.
Arafat emphasized that the 24-hour economy policy could only be feasible in the private sector, and even then, its success would depend on the demand for the company’s products or services.
He added that if there is low demand, it would be impossible for companies to operate around the clock.
“Former President John Dramani Mahama, in case he wins the election, can’t enact a law to force civil servants to work 24 hours and indicate that already the country is struggling to pay them, and adding additional workers to the ones we are having would worsen the situation,” he opined.
Kofi Okyere Agyekum urged Ghanaians during an interview with Kontihen Kofi Oboh to disregard the lies of the opposition and vote for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in the upcoming December 7 elections.
He emphasized that Bawumia’s leadership would guide the country to a brighter future and create job opportunities for the youth, who are the future of Ghana.
The New Patriotic Party’s Member of Parliament for Fanteakwa South Constituency in the Eastern Region, Kofi Okyere Agyekum, popularly known as ‘Arafat’ has officially commissioned and handed over a six-unit classroom block with auxiliary facilities to Bosuso Presbyterian Basic School to enhance teaching and learning in the area.
He was joined by the District Chief Executive for Fanteakwa South, Ernest Ofosu, the Fanteakwa South District Education Director, Richard Addo, the representative from the E/R Presbyterian Secretariat, the Nananom of Bosuso among other dignitaries.
Addressing the gathering, Arafat stated that the NPP government is committed to quality education by ensuring every Ghanaian child gets a serene and good classroom to study to enable them to perform better in their exams.
The Fanteakwa South Lawmaker added that voting has implications on the lives of the people therefore urging Ghanaians to make a rightful choice in the upcoming 2024 election by voting for a political party that would create jobs for the youth in Ghana.
Kofi Okyere Agyekum then advised Ghanaians not to listen to the empty promises of NDC to vote for them because they have nothing new to offer the country and indicated the next NPP government that would be led by President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia would change the fortunes of the country.
The Fanteakwa South Director of Education, Richard Akosah Addo, thanked the MP and the DCE for the project received, saying it has come at the right time.
According to him, the teachers of the Bosuso Presbyterian Basic School have been crying for Primary School for over 90 years, and now that they have gotten some the teachers have no excuses than to uplift their performance and help the pupils to pass the B.E.C.E.
Furthermore, the District Chief Executive for Fanteakwa South District Assembly, Ernest Ofosu mentioned that education is the bedrock of every country and added that when a government fails to prioritize its education sector, it affects its future generation..
“The NPP government knew that education is the heart of the country, hence making it attractive, building more educational infrastructure, and also paying the teachers well to encourage them to enable raised students who can help develop and transform the country in the future,” he opined.
Ernest Ofosu used the occasion to plead with Ghanaians to maintain NPP in power to continue their good works for the country because a change of government every eight years retard development.
President Akufo Addo has praised Okyenhene and Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin for advocating for the protection of the lands, forests, and water bodies God has blessed Ghana with from being destroyed by illegal miners.
According to him, when Okyenhene ascended onto the Ofori Panin stool in 1999, he registered his displeasure about the activities of the illegal miners and warned that if measures were not put in place to regularize the mining work, it would hurt the country in some years to come.
President Nana Addo emphatically stated that Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin was the first King in Ghana who spoke against the illegal miners who were destroying our lands, forest reserves, and water bodies*.
The advocacy by Okyenhene to protect these natural resources for future generations has now become a national issue, and many Ghanaians have joined the call to find a remedy to the illegal mining menace.
The Ghana President made these known at Ofori Panin Fie, Kyebi on Saturday, October 12, 2024, during the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin.
Nana Akufo Addo used the opportunity to congratulate Osagyefuo Ofori Panin for his 25th golden jubilee anniversary and also for contributing to the growth and development of Okyenman and Ghana as a whole and asking God’s blessings upon his life to live long.
The Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, on his part, said that the fight against the illegal miners must be a collective responsibility that shouldn’t be rested on the government’s shoulders alone.
“Today because of quick money, some of the cocoa farmers are giving their lands to illegal miners to use them for mining, and this is very worrying,” he noted.
He furthered by saying that one thing about these illegal miners was that they operated at night when everybody was asleep and it would be difficult to arrest or stop them at that time.
The Overload of Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council mentioned that should the citizens have a change in mindset and come together as one people, we can fight the canker and save our forest reserves, lands, and water bodies from being damaged to restore the land.
The Aburihene, Otoobuor Djan Kwasi II, says since the inception of Democratic rule in 1992, Ghana has not recorded any chaos after electing a new leader to lead the country.
According to the overload of Aburi, who doubles as the Adontenhene of Akuapem Traditional Council in the Eastern Region, every citizen of this country has a role to play, including the traditional rulers, to make the upcoming December 7 polls very successful.
“If you cast your vote, leave the polling station, go home, and return to the polling station when the time is due for the counting of the ballot papers, indicate that this is what we have been practicing for the past 30 years and haven’t encountered any challenges,” he stressed.
Otoobour Djan Kwasi II mentioned that in doing so, *Ghana wouldn’t burn as some people are speculating*
He then advises the general public especially, his people to desist from any form of act that may disturb the peace God has bestowed on us
Djan Kwasi II made this known when the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for the Akuapem South Constituency paid him a courtesy call during the ADDAE BUE ceremony held at his palace in Aburi on Wednesday, October 9, 2024.
The NPP Parliamentary Candidate for the Constituency, Eric Apeadu Yeboah, commended Abirihene for preaching peace ahead of the elections and assured him that his party is poised to protect the peace of the country before, during, and after the elections.
He used the opportunity to tout NPP government achievements to the Chiefs at the gathering.
“If there is no peace in Ghana, President Akufo Addo and his Vice President, Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, wouldn’t have been able to do a lot of infrastructure projects in Akuapem South,” he added.
Eric Yeboah reiterated that the peace of this country remains paramount to NPP, and that’s why Ghanaians should give the leadership mantle to Dr. Bawumia on December 7 to strengthen it.
The Mobile Telecommunication Networks (MTN) has donated ¢15,000.00, ¢2,000.00 airtime, schnapps, soft drinks, and bottled water to the Akuapem Traditional Council in support of the 2024 Akuapem Odwira Festival.
Receiving the items, the Akuapem Traditional Council noted that they recognized the efforts of MTN Ghana for being part of the Odwira festival every year and making it successful.
They then commended them for their contributions towards the growth and development of Ghana and urged them to keep on impacting lives in vulnerable societies across the length and breadth of the country.
Speaking with the pressmen after the donation, the Area Sales Manager for Eastern and Volter Regions, Ransford Gyan reiterated the company’s commitment to promote the rich culture of the country.
According to him, festivals are vibrant celebrations showcasing heritage, culture, and traditions and also bringing people together; that is why they saw the need to support the Akuapem Odwira Festival.
Ransford Gyan mentioned that despite supporting the Akuapem Odwira Festival annually, most of the Senior and Junior High Schools in the Akuapem bloc have benefited from their educational infrastructure projects.
“We have built a fully equipped ultra-modern robotics center for Methodist Girls SHS, built a dormitory block for Akropong School for the Blind, built a digital library, and constructed a digitalized borehole water for Aburi Presbyterian School because water is scarce in the area,” he noted.
Gyan added that they are doing all these developmental projects to benefit society because it is their responsibility to give back to them.
The Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Ophelia Mensah Hayford, has applauded the government for the implementation of the Ghana Landscape Restoration Project, which has given hope to the abandoned lands in or off the forest reserves to regain their strength.
According to her, the survival and well-being of human beings depend on a conducive environment.
Hence, the initiative taken by the sector to ensure the planting of trees on the deformed lands to restore and enable them to become profitable for the country.
Ophelia Mensah Hayford who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Mfantseman Constituency in the Central Region made this known when speaking to the cross-section with the pressmen during her working visit tour to inspect the trees being planted in both forest reserve and off-forest reserve at the Mpraeso Forestry Service Division in the Eastern Region on Tuesday, October 1, 2024.
She was very much impressed with the work being executed by the Mpraeso Forestry Service Division in all the 3 forest reserves in the area; namely, Northern Scarp West, Southern Scarp, and Off forest reserves, respectively.
The Minister, in furtherance, reaffirms the government’s commitment to restoring every abandoned and destroyed land across the country, observing the steps will be beneficial to the unborn generation.
“The Ghana Landscape Restoration Project would augment President Akufo Addo’s green Ghana initiative and indicate that these two major projects would save our collapsing forests in the country,” she noted.
She added that tree planting should be a collective responsibility rather than leaving the fight to the government only.
The Mpraeso Forestry Manager, Neequaye Kusakyen, mentioned that since 2022, his District has planted 1,230 hectares of trees, which is equivalent to 2,500 acres.
He also commended the government for such an initiative and assured Ophelia Hayford, the sector minister, that they would plant more trees to save dying forest reserves in the area.
The team also visited some farmers who have blended tree planting with their farms to educate them on what is demanded of them to harvest more crops.
Kingsley Kwako Amoako of the Directorate of Crop Services at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture urged the farmers not to burn the weeds after clearing their farms, stating that it helps the crops to grow well.
“If they burn the weeds, it kills the nutrients in the soil, and it may cause the farmer to harvest fewer crops,” he noted.
Dr. R. T. B. Koranteng, PC – Yilo Krobo Constituency is the one waving the NPP flag.
It was all joy with an electrifying atmosphere as the principal streets of Yilo Krobo Constituency in the Eastern Region dominated by the traditional New Patriotic Party’s Red, White, and Blue colors occasioned a mega health walk with Dr. Richard Twum Barimah Koranteng, the Parliamentary Candidate of the Constituency.
The exercise, which was dubbed: “DUKU health walk”, pulled hundreds of crowds, predominately by the NPP faithful, to energize the grassroots base ahead of the December 7 polls.
Speaking to KONTIHEN KOFI OBOH, the MP hopeful for the Constituency noted that among all other factors, the need to energize the party’s fans based in the area was key to enabling them to preach the good work done by their government to the people and also to maintain in power to do more for Ghana.
Dr. Richard Koranteng treated the members of the ruling governing party to be proud of its achievements because they have proven doubters wrong, especially the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“If I were former President John Dramani Mahama I wouldn’t have joined the race to contest the 2024 election because he has occupied all the positions in governance,” he stated.
Dr. Koranteng then advised Ghanaians to disgrace him by voting massively against him and indicated that in doing so, he would go on retirement because they didn’t know what he left at the Jubilee House and wanted to return and go for it.
He then pleaded with the Yilo Krobo constituents to shun the NDC PC, Albert Nyakotey, and vote for him to become the MP to bring more infrastructure projects and transform the area.
The Eastern Regional Chairman of the Party, Jeff Konadu Addo, also, in an interview with KONTIHEN KOFI OBOH, said they will rally their support behind Dr. Richard Twum Barimah Koranteng to grab the parliamentary seat from the NDC MP, Albert Nyakotey.
He stressed that the turnout of the program shows that the people of Yilo Krobo were hungry for change in the upcoming elections.
According to him, the NPP has 25 parliamentary seats against 8 of the NDC and is poised to take all the NDC’s seats from them because he believes that his party has done a lot of developmental projects in the Region and deserves to win those seats.
The Eastern Regional Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Anthony Osei Adjei, has praised the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North Constituency in the region, Gifty Twum Ampofo, for dashing out six brand-new motorbikes to support the Constituency’s 2024 elections campaign.
According to him, the MP’s gesture to the party shows that there is unity in the Constituency despite losing the Parliamentary bid to a different person.
“Our party has given many opportunities to most of our sitting Members of Parliament, but after losing the parliamentary primaries, they have dumped us and are contesting the 2024 parliamentary race as independent candidates, but Gifty Twum Ampofo respected the decision of the delegates and never left the party,” he added.
Anthony Adjei noted that Gifty Twum Ampofo’s continuous support and commitment indicate that she appreciates what the party has done for her in the past 7 years as cabinet member.
The Eastern Regional NPP Secretary used the opportunity and appealed to their Members of Parliament who genuinely said they were not contesting again and those who couldn’t retain their seats to emulate the outgoing Abuakwa North MP and return the same gesture to their constituencies to strengthen the campaign to enable them to enter every household to grab their votes to help them break the eight to retain power in 2025.
The Member of Parliament for the Constituency, Gifty Twum Ampofo on her part said, that donating 6 motorbikes to the party will help them to go to the remote areas in the Constituency where cars can’t go and sell the achievements of the NPP government to the residents over there to vote for them to remain in power.
Gift Ampofo added that she has served under the NPP government for seven years as Deputy Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, and immediate past Deputy Minister of Education in charge of TVET, and a Lawmaker for eight years and donating the motorbikes to support the 2024 election campaign formed part of her appreciation to the party.
She then entreated the youth who are not working, especially the unemployed graduates, to pursue Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses to enable them to create job opportunities for themselves rather than always depending on someone for daily bread.
Alhaji Seidu Ibrahim, the Chairman of the Constituency, received the motorbikes on behalf of his executives and thanked the MP, Gifty Twum Ampofo, for the kind gesture.
“We never thought that someone who has spent a huge amount of money on an election and couldn’t win can purchased us 6 motorbikes for to be use for our campaign and canvas votes to help Chief Buffalo who defeated her to maintain the seat for NPP and this is incredible,” he revealed.
The Former Member of Parliament for Suhum Constituency in the Eastern Region, Frederick Opare Ansah has vindicated Kontihen Kofi Oboh, a broadcast journalist in the region
Before the 2020 general elections, the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) held many press conferences and spoke about former President John Dramani Mahama.
For this reason, Kontihen Kofi Oboh suggested that the NPP government should propagate the good works they have done to enable Ghanaians to give them another nod to continue to govern the country.
He was of the view that talking about former President Mahama would make him popular to garner more votes but some journalists in the region thought he hated NPP.
Lo and behold, NDC nearly caused harm to the NPP by getting over 6 million votes in the 2020 elections. Meanwhile, the NPP eventually won the 2016 elections with over 1 million votes.
“We all knew what NDC said about then flagbearer of NPP and now the President of Ghana, Nana Addo, that he was too short and couldn’t be a President, and those things made him popular to humiliate them in 2016, and the same thing nearly occurred to the NPP in the 2020 elections,” he added.
After many suggestions from Kofi Oboh on one of the Eastern Regional Media platforms, someone forwarded it to one of the NPP executives in the region.
Four years down the lane, the journalist has been vindicated by Frederick Opare Ansah, a renowned politician in Ghana.
On Sunday, September 15, 2024, the NPP executives in Suhum Constituency, led by their Parliamentary Candidate, organized a mega health walk exercise to energize the base to bring floating voters on board to vote for them in the upcoming December 7 polls.
When addressing the NPP faithful in Suhum, the former Member of Parliament for the Constituency, Frederick Opare Ansah recounted how an independent parliamentary made him lose the 2008 election.
According to him, during their 2008 campaign wherever they went, they mentioned the name of the independent parliamentary candidate, and that made him popular and grabbed over 4,000 votes.
“So, going into the 2012 election, they developed a strategy and stopped mentioning his name in their campaign, and it helped them win the elections by a big margin,” revealed Opare Ansah.
The former Suhum MP used the opportunity to advise the NPP members in the area, not to mention the name of Ɔboafo Kwadjo Asante, who has turned his back on them and is going independent to contest the Parliamentary seat.
“In doing so, nobody would hear of him, and it would give an advantage to the NPP’s Parliamentary Candidate, Frank Asiedu Bekoe, popularly known as ‘Protozoa,’ to retain the seat for them,” he noted.
Nancy Abbey presenting the award to Haruna Yussif Wunpini.
A Journalist with the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Haruna Yussif Wunpini, has been awarded Eastern Region Tourism Media Personality for the year 2024.
Haruna Wunpini, who has been with the GCGL and primarily been writing stories for the Daily Graphic, The company’s flagship newspaper as the Regional Reporter was also adjudged Best Reporter in the print category at the maiden Eastern Regional Tourism Media Awards held at Koforidua, the regional capital on Friday, September 13, 2024.
Parts of the citation reads, ”As the Eastern Regional Reporter, your quest and passion to write in-depth feature stories and news articles on the tourism potentials in the region is highly remarkable.”.
According to the citation, Wunpini’s dedication to tourism reporting took him to destinations to uncover unique attractions and untapped potentials such as the Rock with Human Features at ”Kodidi” in the Afram Plains North.
Another wonderful work of nature is the Canoe-Shaped tree at the Bunso Eco Park which publications in the Daily Graphic, The Mirror and Graphic Online significantly contributed in showcasing the region’s tourism attractions and potentials to the world.
The publications, the citation further highlighted some of the numerous challenges facing the tourism industry to the sector ministry for redress.
Another media organization, Channel One TV, was recognized as the Tourism Oriented Media for the year 2024, while 14 other tourism-related facilities in the region were also honored and given plagues and citations.
The awards scheme, the first of its kind, was instituted by the Eastern Regional Office of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) to honor outstanding individuals and hospitality facilities committed to excellence and dedication to tourism.
Haruna Wunpini, who was highly elated with the latest honor considering their relentless love for the tourism industry over the past years, said he never anticipated being given such an award.
“The path of success is always rough and very difficult, and those who are always ready to take challenges head-on and at the same time have a keen interest and are full of determination win over it”.
“I thank Almighty Allah for giving me the strength and energy to do what I have done. “My editors and colleague journalists, including my wives and family members, supported me in winning the ultimate,” Yussif Wunpini stated.
To him, the public had recognised his good works and expressed appreciation to the GTA for honouring him.
The Eastern Regional Graphic reporter indicated that the award received would spur him to do more to enable him to win the national diadem.
Speaking at the event on the theme “Celebrating Innovation and Recognising Excellence In Ghana’s Tourism Sector”, the Head of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Cape Coast, Professor Ishmael Mensah said the region had many tourist facilities such as Odweanoma Mountain, Akuapem Ridge, Aburi Botanical Gardens, the Volta Lake and the Akonnedi Shrine at Larteh and local cuisine such as “aboloo” and “Koko” which portrayed the region as a land of diversity.
He stated that the region which is endowed with highlands, wildlife, rich cultural heritage and warm-hearted people had been attracting tourists.
Professor Mensah, who is also the Director of the Confucius Institute, emphasized that given such tourist attractions, his outfit had recognized the awards as important to the development of the tourism industry.
He then congratulated all award winners, especially Haruna Wunpini of Daily Graphic for emerging the Eastern Region Tourism Media Personality for the year 2024.
Professor Mensah urged him to continue to write more feature stories on tourism related activities to enable him win the national award in the near future.
For his part, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GTA, Akwasi Agyeman said the ceremony was the first to be organized in the 16 regions and that the rest would follow to showcase tourism potentials in such areas, adding that all the events would take place this September that had been designated tourism month.
He told the gathering that the events would be climaxed with the World Tourism Day on September 27, this month.
Agyeman therefore called on all the awardees to continue to work hard in their respective fields of work to project the region’s tourism potentials.
Furthermore, the Eastern Regional Director of GTA, Dinah Adu-Owusu said the region boast of vast tropical forests and landscapes, countless water bodies, rich cultural diversity and world class tourism hospitality facilities that merged to define the tourism hospitality landscape to host both domestic and international visitors.
She noted that it was important at the same time necessary to celebrate and honour the tourism entrepreneurs as well as the media practitioners and individuals who had througth innovation and their pursuit for excellence had transformed the available resources into memorable experiences in Eastern Region over the years.
“The future of tourism greatly depend on our ability to be continually innovative and intune with technology in order to meet the changing demands of todays problems and find ways to address them,” Adu-Owusu stated.
The representatives of the Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong and the Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Daasebre Kwaku Boateng III also graced the occasion
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