The Upper East Regional Communications Officer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Peter Ayinbisa Ayamga, has launched a scathing attack on Members of Parliament from the Upper East Region, accusing them of failing to lobby for major development projects and reducing their achievements to the construction of grinding mills, locally known as “nika nika.”
According to him, the region’s MPs had failed to secure the inclusion of the Upper East Region in the $500 million World Bank-funded Ghana Market Access and Connectivity Project (GMACP), despite the region’s significant contribution to Ghana’s agricultural sector.
Mr. Ayinbisa made the remarks at a press conference organised by the NPP Regional Communications Directorate at the party’s regional office in Bolgatanga to protest what he described as the unjust exclusion of the Upper East Region from the World Bank facility.
He argued that the project, which seeks to rehabilitate about 1,050 kilometres of climate-resilient feeder roads to improve market access, reduce post-harvest losses and increase farmers’ incomes, should have prioritised the Upper East Region because of its status as one of the country’s major food-producing areas.
Mr. Ayinbisa questioned what he described as the inability of the region’s legislators to influence national development decisions in favour of their constituents.
“They don’t do it. And when they come home, all they know to do is go and repair or construct grinding mills—nika nika—for our people. That is all they can do,” he said.
He maintained that while community projects were important, Members of Parliament were expected to lobby for large-scale interventions capable of transforming the regional economy.
“The Upper East Region is endowed with natural resources, and our people are basically peasant farmers. This project is critical because it will improve feeder roads, reduce transportation costs and increase farmers’ incomes. Yet, our MPs have allowed the region to be left out,” he stated.
The Regional Communications Officer further criticised the 15 National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs from the region, saying they had failed to justify the overwhelming mandate given to them by voters in the 2024 general election.
“The people of this region gave the NDC 15 out of 15 parliamentary seats, but today we are getting zero out of 15 in terms of advocacy for development,” he said.
Mr. Ayinbisa also expressed disappointment that no Farmer Service Centre had been established in any district in the Upper East Region nearly two years into the government’s tenure.
He called on the Upper East Caucus in Parliament to intensify efforts to ensure the region was included in the GMACP before Parliament approves the financing agreement.
He also appealed to the Upper East Regional Minister, traditional authorities, farmer groups, civil society organisations and the media to join calls for a review of the beneficiary list, insisting that the region deserved its fair share of national development interventions.
According to him, the demand was not about politics but about equity and ensuring that farmers in the Upper East Region receive the infrastructure needed to improve agricultural productivity and livelihoods.
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