Akufo-Addo storms Winneba today …to open ECOWAS Parliament

His Excellency, President Nana Akufo-Addo would this morning be in Winneba in the Effutu Constituency for the official opening of a sub-regional High Level interactive seminar being held by the ECOWAS Parliament.

The Seminar would be followed by an Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament from October 18th to 22nd, also in the Effutu Constituency where Alexander Afenyo-Markin is Member of Parliament.

Nana Akufo-Addo, in his capacity as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, after the opening ceremony would commission some ten different developmental and beautification projects in the Effutu Constituency all funded by Alexander Afenyo-Markin.

The Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, His Excellency, Sidie Mohamed Tunis from Sierra Leone arrived in Ghana Sunday afternoon ahead of the Summit.

First Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris Wase from Nigeria, Second Deputy Speaker Sani Malam Chaibou Boucary from Niger, Third Deputy Speaker Memounatou Ibrahima  from Togo and Fourth Deputy Speaker Adja Satu Camara Pint from Guinea Bissau all arrived in the country last Monday.

Also in attendance would be also 200 participants from across the sub-region including MPs from the ECOWAS Parliament, officials of the Administrative Wing headed by Secretary General Mr. John Azumah from Ghana and highly reputed resource persons from varies backgrounds.

The selected theme for the High Level and Interactive Parliamentary Seminar is “High Level Evaluation on Two Decades of Democratic Elections in the ECOWAS; Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward.”

For the Extraordinary Session, the focus would be mainly to consider and adopt the draft 2022 Budget of the ECOWAS Parliament.

Winneba Lights Up

Ahead of the ECOWAS Parliament Seminar and Extraordinary Session, the Effutu Constituency has been bussing with several activation and awareness creation activities including the organizing of a beauty and brand pageant and a football league competition from some 32 teams across the constituency.

Several roads are also being tarred with close to a thousand streetlights installed across the main streets.

Almost hotels in Winneba have been booked for guests and participants and the town cleaned.

The Effutu Constituency is geared up for the visiting guests and their arrival has become the talk of town, sparking some excitement across board.

The general talk is that never before has Effutu had such number of high profile persons in international repute coming into the area to stay for some two weeks and apart from the meeting, see the Efutu town and the culture and traditions of its people.

Alexander Afenyo-Markin has also funded three significant beautification projects across the constituency and they all would be commissioned during the seminar season.

Afenyo-Markin himself has been elated about the fact this his constituency is playing host to the ECOWAS Parliament: “

“Winneba is an amazing coastal city with a rich history and remarkable culture,” says Afenyo-Markin, who recently returned from Abuja after taking part in the proceedings of the ECOWAS Parliament. “Since I became the MP of Effutu, we have been working so hard to fully develop Winneba’s true potential as both a business hub, tourist destination and land of endless opportunities for all citizens who dare to dream.”

“We have already made significant progress in many areas,” he adds.

“We are strategically improving the livelihoods of the people through calculated investments in very critical areas. I am talking about education, small scale industries, housing, access to health, and hospitality. The result is that modern education facilities are coming to Effutu, modern homes and residential facilities are being built, and sustainable jobs are being created and more.”

“The ultimate dream is to develop Effutu in general to such a level as to make it an attractive destination of choice for major local and international businesses, events and conferences. Therefore, the decision by the ECOWAS Parliament to have Winneba host ECOWAS MPs for the meetings could not have come at a more opportune time.”

“We have already started making all the necessary preparations to host the two events successfully,” states Afenyo-Markin. “We intend to make all our visitors feel at home throughout their days in Ghana and leave with the best possible memories of our people and our culture.”

According to Afenyo-Markin, “the potential impact of the two international conferences on Winneba’s economy, and the people Effutu in general, will be phenomenal.