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Mr Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Mampong, has been re-elected to represent the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as its parliamentary candidate in the December general elections. Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong, who is also the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration polled 555 votes to win the constituency primaries, which were held on Saturday, February 17 this year. His close contender, Mr Denis Kwakwa garnered 167 votes in the elections. The Asante Mampong NPP constituency primary election was suspended following a court injunction brought against it by some aggrieved members of the party in the constituency. A three-judge panel of a Court of Appeal in Kumasi, led by Justice Georgina Mensah-Datsa, at its sitting in Kumasi, revoked the injunction, and asked the aggrieved members to find amicable solution to the impasse since all the disputing parties were of the same political group. The NPP, ahead of the Saturday elections, called for decorum among the party members and the delegates throughout the process to ensure the successful completion of the elections in the constituency. Source: Ghana News Agency

Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang has called on Ghanaians, particularly women to rescue the country from the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) bad governance. She made the call during the orientation and inauguration of the central regional women's working committee of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Kasoa. Prof. Opoku Agyemang, who was the running mate of Mr John Dramani Mahama, in the 2020 general elections, addressing the women's wing, said the country's economy was in tatters and it would require the hardwork of all to wrestle power to save Ghanaians from the quagmire. She emphasised that women must devote themselves to save the country from further economic turmoil. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the 24hour economic policy proposed by the flagbearer of the NDC was a laudable initiative that was possible to create jobs and transform the economy. She further advised the NDC women's wing to have a united front ahead of election 2024. Central Regional Women's Organiser, Mrs Faustina Naa Lamley, reiterated that winning the 2024 elections by the NDC must be the concern of all well-meaning Ghanaians and not only NDC members. She called on the NDC women's wing to unite and work assiduously to ensure the party attain power this year. The Deputy National Women's Organizer, Madam Abigail Elorm Akwambia Mensah, later in an interview with the GNA indicated that winning the 2024 election was dependent on the hard work of women. She said women were the ones affected most by government policies either good or bad and as witnesses to the harsh state of the current economy, it required that they teamed up to overthrow the NPP government. Source: Ghana News Agency

The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), a leading regional peacebuilding civil society organisation, has launched its 25th anniversary celebration, on the theme: '25 Years of Building Peace and Inspiring Change.' Mrs Levinia Addae-Mensah, the Programme Director and Deputy Executive Director of WANEP speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra at the launch of the Silver Jubilee Celebration, said the theme reflects the story and the successful journey of WANEP. Founded in 1998 in response to civil wars that plagued West Africa in the 1990s, WANEP's vision is that of a 'West Africa region characterized by just and peaceful communities where the dignity of the human person is paramount and where the people can meet their basic human needs and decide their own direction.' The Deputy Executive Director paid tribute to the two co-founding fathers of WANEP - Dr Sam G. Doe from Liberia, the first Executive Director and Co-founder of WANEP and Mr Emmanuel H. Bombande of Ghana, the second Executive Directo r and Co-founder of WANEP. She said over the years, WANEP had succeeded in establishing strong national networks in every Member State of ECOWAS with over 700 member organisations across West Africa. She said WANEP places special focus on collaborative approaches to conflict prevention, and peacebuilding, working with diverse actors from civil society, governments, intergovernmental bodies, women groups, the youth, and other partners in a bid to establish a platform for dialogue, experience sharing and learning, thereby complementing efforts at ensuring sustainable peace and development in West Africa and beyond. Touching on the successes chalked by WANEP over the past 25 years, Mrs Addae-Mensah said WANEP started as a small civil society organisation in Ghana to an organisation that is now represented in 15 countries in West Africa; with an office in Abuja, Nigeria the level of ECOWAS, and also in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the level of the African Union (AU). She said they have gotten to the point where WANEP had also acquired its own properties not just in Ghana but in countries such as la Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Benin and The Gambia. She added that the WANEP had been able to survive the very mutating context of peace and security; from when it started focusing on intra-state conflicts, physical violent conflicts in the West Africa sub-region at the time, to addressing securities threats that were not necessarily physical conflicts. Mrs Addae-Mensah said: 'What we call the contemporary and emerging characters around conflicts, which are difficult to address and yet WANEP has been able as an Institution to transform itself and continue to sustain itself and remain relevant even in the face of different natures of conflicts from what we started with. 'I think that in itself is a huge inspiration and again it goes back to the theme of why we have talked about inspiring change because it has been a constantly changing context and yet within that context, we've been able to remain relevant and be able to also pr oduce results.' She said the National Early Warning System was a part of the WANEP Alert and Response Mechanism, which supports the ECOWAS Early Warning System and the Continental Early Warning System under the Protocols Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security in West Africa and the African Peace and Security Architecture of the AU. She lauded some of their development partners such as the European Union and the USAID for the continued support for WANEP over the years. With regard to the problem of backsliding democracy in West Africa, which was coupled with coups, the threats of coups and instability, Mrs Addae-Mensah reiterated that there was hope for the future. She urged the citizens of the West Africa sub-region to have faith in democracy and that democracy was the only way forward. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Tufuhene of Agona Nyakrom Traditional Area, Nana Osei Bonsu III, has reiterated calls on NPP delegates in Agona West to prioritise the development of the area over monetary considerations. He stated that it was significant to vote for a high-minded candidate to lead the party than allow monetary inducements to compel them to choose someone who would not bring unity and economic wellbeing to the people. The Tufuhene made the call when Mr Yawson Otoo, one of the Aspiring NPP Parliamentary Candidates for Agona West paid a courtesy call on Okofo Katakyi Nyakoh Eku X, Omanhene of Agona Nyakrom Traditional Area, and his chiefs to seek their blessings and prayers. Similar courtesies have been paid on chiefs and heads of family at Agona Abodom, Lower and Upper Bobikuma, Agona Nkum and Agona Kwamang to ask for their prayers and blessings to help him emerge victorious in the upcoming primary. Mr Yawson Otoo, who is contesting Mr Ben Yamoah, Mr Christ Arthur, Mrs Cynthia Mamle Morrison, the incumbent and Mr Jose ph Afankwa who was disqualified but had protested with a court injunction. The Agona West NPP Parliamentary primary could not come on January 27, 2024 due to a Cape Coast High Court injunction filed by Mr Afankwa who was disqualified from contesting. Nana Osei Bonsu said it was regrettable to hear that huge amounts of money had been paid as transport to delegates during primaries to elect candidates who may not be able to deliver to bring the needful development to the people. The Tufuhene said the chiefs have no power to direct them to choose one candidate, but it was incumbent on them to select a credible and development- oriented Parliamentary candidate to lead the party. He touted the numerous assistants 12 years back, by Mr Yawson Otoo such as the donation of roofing sheets and hundreds of bags of cement and other supports in aid of development projects to Agona Nyakrom and other big towns including Agona Swedru. Nana Osei Bonsu cited Effutu constituency as a good example where the people had witnes sed massive transformation in infrastructural development by their MP, Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin. He said the chiefs in Agona West wanted to experience similar development in the areas of education, tourism, health, roads, and others to inure to the benefits of the people. Nana Osei Bonsu admitted that no chief or personality could force delegates to vote for one aspirant, but it would be prudent for Agona West Constituency to emulate the good example of Effutu constituency for it to also become one of the best in the central region. He said the Aspirant had paid for a parcel of land to be used for the construction of new police station and Astroturf at Agona Nyakrom to help promote work of police personnel and development of sports. Nana Osei Bonsu therefore made a passionate appeal to the delegates to give the nod to Mr Yawson Otoo when it was time so he could lead the constituency to become one of the best places in the country. Mr Yawson Otoo on his part, thanked the chiefs for the cooperati on, prayers and support that had inspired him, and hoped that he would win the primary when the date was fixed for the election. He prayed that the court on March 8, 2024, gave verdict that would pave the way for the conduct of the primary and called on delegates and entire supporters to remain calm. Mr Yawson Otoo said he was born and bred at Agona Nyakrom and had his secondary education in same place and he will never disappoint the chiefs and supporters when given the nod. Mr Prince Koranteng, former Constituency Secretary of Agona West and campaign Manager of Mr Yawson Otoo urged the delegates to vote for Mr Yawson Otoo because he was the only aspirant who could lead the party to the promise land. He said the Agona West constituency needed a change in leadership of the party with new credible, marketable and visionary leader to help retain the seat. The former Constituency Secretary hinted that the party was not prepared to give out the parliamentary seat to opposition NDC and expressed optimism that the party was poised to win the December 7, 2024, elections. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Afek Tounes Party has welcomed the announcement that the presidential elections will be held on time, stressing the need to improve the electoral climate and ensure all conditions for a fair democratic competition. "State institutions must be protected from any political conflict," the party said in a press release issued at the end of its National Council, calling for political opponents not to be excluded. The Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) must respect all the provisions of its organic law, the party said, while expressing the wish that this national event be an opportunity to choose the programmes and projects that will develop the country. On the economic front, Afek Tounes expressed "deep concern over the deterioration of the economic indicators, in particular the near zero growth in 2023 and an unemployment rate of 16.4% due to the recession". "The current government, which has assumed full power, bears full responsibility," the party added. The party also stressed that the cu rrent regime must find the necessary solutions to boost the national economy, especially by improving the business climate, encouraging investment, implementing stalled projects and amending bureaucratic laws. "We need to introduce an attractive tax system and encourage young people to set up businesses in modern technological fields," the party said. Afek Tounes also announced the creation of the "Afek" institute for training and political supervision, which aims to promote skills in public affairs management. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse