ECOWAS big guns storm Winneba …Afenyo-Markin hosts them from today

Speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), His Excellency Sidie Mohamed Tunis and some 25 Members of the West African body from across the sub-region plus some of its very top officials would arrive in Winneba , in the Effutu Constituency in the Central Region for a five-day delocalised meeting which takes off tomorrow Tuesday July 17.

The same Effutu Constituency has been confirmed as the venue for the ECOWAS Parliament Extra Ordinary Session to be held in September, some two months after the one to be held this week.

The Effutu Constituency would play host to the international body and the Member of Parliament for the area, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, himself a Member of the ECOWAS Parliament, certainly has a busy week on his hands.

It is the first time in the history of the Effutu Constituency to host such a high level international meeting and the MP, Afenyo-Markin, who doubles as the Deputy Majority Leader in Ghana’s Parliament is all excited.

“Yes I can confirm that myself as MP, our chief; President of the Effutu Traditional Area, Neeyi Ghartey VII and our traditional leaders, the Minister for Central Region, Hon. Justina Marigold Assan and all good people of Effutu are welcoming the ECOWAS Parliament with both hands for this delocalized meeting which would serve as a spring board for other meetings of such international caliber.

“Every necessary arrangement hs been made and we are grateful for the support from every stakeholder that has helped in the planning and preparations so far. We wish our visiting team a happy stay and very fruitful deliberations”, Afenyo-Markin noted.

The New Publisher can confirm that apart from the ECOWAS Speaker, His Excellency Sidie Mohamed Tunis, the Effutu gathering would be attended by Deputy Speaker Memounatou Ibrahim, the Secretary General , John Azumah and Hon. Edwin Melvin Snowe Jnr from Liberia, Senetor Ramoni Mustapha Olakeikan from Nigeria and other very big name from the ECOWAS Parliament would be in attendance.

The international body would be deliberating on the role of telecommunications and information technology in achieving regional development, peace and security and human rights.

EFFUTU PREPARED

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 almost a week and apart from the meeting, see the Efutu town and the culture and traditions of its people.

Winneba Is Rising

“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.