By Laudia Sawer
Tema, Dec 01, GNA – The Tema West Constituency, which is one of the three constituencies within the Tema area, is a stronghold of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The NPP has consecutively won the seat in all elections in the Fourth Republic of Ghana.
Tema West, which has 11 electoral areas and covers Tema Communities Two, Three,
Five, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, Sakumono Village, Sakumono Estate, Baatsona, Kotobabi, Lashibi, Klagon, Borteyman, King Solomon, Suncity, Promise Land, and Adjei Kojo.
The constituency shares boundaries with Tema East, Tema Central, Kpone-Katamanso, and Krowor.
Even though it has many well-developed communities, it has some slum communities, including the ‘Kiosk Estate.’
Business
Tema West has several industries within its light industrial area; these include the Coca-Cola Bottling Company and some of the one district, one factory project, such as the indomie factory.
The constituency also houses some private and public services, and markets to promote trading among residents. Some are the Texpo, Community Two, and the Sakumono Fish Market.
Tema West can boast of recreational facilities, with Sakumono Beach hosting several entertainment joints, including Titanic Beach.
It hosted the All-African Games this year at the newly built Borteyman Sports Complex.
The constituency upholds God, as seen in its church village, which has about 50 churches located in the area.
Health/Education
Education is cherished by residents of Tema West, as the constituency can boast of some of the high-performing schools in the Tema area. It has a high number of both public and privately owned basic schools.
The constituency also has some second-cycle institutions, such as Tema Senior High and the Lashibi Community Day School.
Tema West constituency also has hospitals and health institutions such as the Tema Polyclinic, the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH), and others.
Politics
As a stronghold of the NPP, one of its former Members of Parliament (MP), Mr. Abraham Ossei Aidooh, served as Deputy Majority Leader and Majority Leader, while Madam Irene Naa Torshie Addo is the current Administrator of the District Assembly Common Fund.
The NPP has won both the presidential and parliamentary elections of the constituency with more than 50 percent of votes cast in the various elections.
The December 7 parliamentary election is a two-horse race between a former NP Constituency Chairman, Mr. Dennis Amfo-Sefah, popularly known as Nana Boakye, and a former parliamentary candidate for the NDC, Mr. James Enu by winning the seat from NPP.
The current MP, Mr. Kingsley Carlos Ahenkorah, who won the seat with 59.52 votes in 2016 and 50.66 in 2020, is not contesting the 2024 elections.
The NDC, on the other hand, bridged the gap with 47.90 percent in 2020 with Mr. Raphael Kwasi Sarpong Tuffour as its candidate, over the 39.71 percent garnered by Mr. James Enu (who is also the current NDC parliamentary candidate) in 2016.
The electorate of Tema West will on December 7 decide which new face would represent them in parliament from 2025.
While some are of the firm conviction that the seat is in the safe hands of the NPP, others also believe that times have changed and challenges of poor road infrastructure and other issues in areas such as Adjei Kojo and other communities would direct them on which candidate should carry the day.
GNA