By Yussif Ibrahim
Akomadan (Ash), Nov. 23, GNA – Parliamentary candidates seeking to represent the people of Offinso North Constituency in parliament, have outlined their vision for the constituents when given the nod.
Each of the three candidates seeking to replace former Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Collins Ntim, believed they were the right choice to bring development to the constituency.
They are Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Caesar Ofosu Acheampong, National Democratic Congress (NDC), and Mr Abdul Nasir Deen, People’s National Convention (PNC).
At a parliamentary candidates’ dialogue organised by the District Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) at Akomadan, they spoke about various interventions they would introduce to improve the lives of the people.
Dr Asamoah said his primary objective was to invest in education to improve the literacy rate in the constituency which is currently 55 per cent – far lower than the national rate of 70 per cent.
He said teachers were critical to quality education and pledged his commitment to provide them with the needed incentives for them to deliver.
In addition, he would provide well-stocked libraries for communities as well as all the five senior high schools in the constituency to encourage reading among students.
The NDC candidate, however, called for a review of the Free Senior High School Policy to address infrastructure challenges and improve quality.
He criticised the double- track system and suggested alternative solutions such as shift systems during the day to ensure continuous education without interruption.
Mr Abdul Nasir Deen, the PNC candidate, announced his intention to invest in agriculture to make it profitable, saying that it was the best way to address unemployment, with about 5,000 youth in the constituency already into farming.
According to him, he would leverage technology to make agriculture attractive to young people.
Ms Alice Okwae Agyekum, the Acting District Director of the NCCE, applauded the candidates for participating in the exercise which sought to deepen democracy and also offered them a platform to engage the people
She underlined the need for political parties to lead the campaign for peace as the country goes to the polls on December 7.
She called for decorous and issues-based campaigns by political parties as they canvassed for votes across the constituency.
Rev. Isaac Marfo, a Pastor of the Assemblies of God Church, who chaired the programme, emphasised the need for political actors to exhibit tolerance for their followers to emulate in the interest of peace.
GNA