The Upper East Regional Communications Directorate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused Members of Parliament from the Upper East Region of failing to champion the region’s development interests despite the overwhelming mandate they received from voters during the 2024 general elections.
Speaking at a press conference in Bolgatanga, the party’s Regional Communications Officer, Peter Ayinbisa, criticised the region’s 15 National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs for remaining silent over the exclusion of the Upper East Region from the $500 million World Bank-funded Ghana Market Access and Connectivity Project (GMACP).
Mr. Ayinbisa said the people of the Upper East rewarded the NDC with all 15 parliamentary seats, yet the region had received what he described as “zero out of 15” in terms of advocacy on the project.
He argued that Members of Parliament have a responsibility beyond debating bills, stressing that they are expected to lobby for projects that improve the welfare of their constituents.
“The people of this region gave the NDC 15 out of 15 seats, but we are now getting zero out of 15. Whom much is given, much is expected,” he said.
He questioned what prominent MPs from the region, including Isaac Adongo, Clement Apaak and other legislators, had done to secure the inclusion of the Upper East Region in the project, which seeks to rehabilitate feeder roads to support agricultural production.
According to him, while MPs often return to their constituencies to commission small community projects, they have failed to secure major national development interventions capable of transforming the region’s largely agrarian economy.
Mr. Ayinbisa also criticised the government for failing to establish any Farmer Service Centre in the Upper East Region nearly two years into its tenure, despite promises to strengthen agricultural productivity.
He called on the Upper East Regional Minister, traditional authorities, farmer organisations and civil society groups to join efforts to lobby Parliament and the government to ensure that the region benefits from the World Bank-funded initiative before parliamentary approval is completed.
He maintained that the demand was not politically motivated but aimed at ensuring equitable national development and improving the livelihoods of farmers across the Upper East Region.
A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|Bolgatanga
