Addo Amankwah to contest Manhyia South NPP primary
A Financial Security Analyst, Kwabena Addo Amankwah, has announced his intention to contest the Manhyia South Constituency Primaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
If successful, Mr Amankwah is likely to come up against the incumbent Member of Parliament of the constituency, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who is yet to announce whether he will be contesting in the next parliamentary election or not.
Dr Opoku Prempeh is one of the names that have been circulating in the media as a possible running mate to the Vice President, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, should he become successful in the party’s upcoming delegates conference scheduled for November 4. It is, therefore, unknown if he will still be contesting again.
Per the timelines issued by the party, nominations would be opened on December 20, 2023 and closed on January 4, 2024 in constituencies where the NPP has sitting MPs, followed by election on February 24, 2024.
Plans
Sharing his plans for the constituency in an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mr Addo Amankwah who served as a Personal Assistant at the Office of the Chief of Staff during the Kuffuor administration, said his plans for the constituency were based on four main policies.
The policies are education reforms, healthcare expansion, economic diversification and security improvement.
He noted that the current NPP government had done very well with the Free SHS policy, and it was, therefore, necessary for the constituents to take full advantage of it in order to be competitive in the work environment.
“We will invest heavily in STEM education.
We will provide resources like laptops and financial support to all tertiary students studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics within the constituency.
“I have started an organisation called STEM-TUTORS which involves a group of university students who will be teaching children within Manhyia South; Coding and Robotics.
“We need to build the next phase of leadership who can potentially adapt to the future of technology,” he stated.
Health care
On healthcare, the aspiring MP said every constituent deserved access to quality healthcare, which was why he would consistently organise health screenings and National Health Insurance Scheme registration within the constituency.
He said part of the MP’s common fund would be allocated to support the clinics within the constituency to purchase advanced medical equipment through guaranteed loan programmes.
“This, when implemented effectively, will not just subsidise medical services but improve the infrastructure of healthcare,” he stated.
Economic revitalisation
Sharing his economic plans, he said he was a believer of a free market economy and also believed that businesses should be given the resources and improved infrastructure to operate.
He said the constituency was fortunate to have the beautiful palace of the Asante King which was a huge boost for tourism.
“We will invest in creating a technological hub-website where businesses in the constituency can display their products and services to the world.
“We will engage in apprenticeship training programmes as well as making available business loan programmes for small businesses in the constituency,” he said.
On security, Mr Amankwah emphasised that the development of every economy depended on people being able to move freely and openly to operate businesses 24 hours a day without being afraid of robbery or negative interference.
He said this would be critical for him as Member of Parliament when given the opportunity.