Western Region GJA empowers Sekondi constituents to demand good governance

The Western Regional Chapter of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) has organised a town hall meeting for electorate in the Sekondi Constituency to demand good governance from political leadership in the area.The meeting, first in a series to be organised, formed part of the GJA's 'Western Region Manifesto Project', being implemented on the theme: 'Harnessing Digital Journalism for Informed Political Dialogue and Manifesto Scrutiny.'The 10-month project is being implemented with funding support from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) to help empower the electorate to demand good governance and development in their communities.The town hall meeting provided a platform for residents to voice out their concerns and issues that bothered on their developmental needs for answers from political leadership in the Constituency.Some of the issues raised by the residents focused mainly on sanitation, unemployment, flooding, economic hardships and poor market centre among others.Madam Annabel Andoh , a resident at Nkotompo, appealed to the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area to help in the creation of job opportunities in her community to help improve upon the living standard of the youth.Madam Mavis Mensah, another resident from Sekondi, complained of poor sanitation within her community and called on authorities to address the issue.She also called for the renovation of the Sekondi railway station and market centre to help boost the economic situation in the constituency.Mr Isaac Donkoh, a Representative for the MP for Sekondi Constituency, Mr Andrew Egyapa Mercer, responding to some of the issues raised, said the MP had been very instrumental for the development of the constituency over the years in terms of job creation, infrastructure, and economic empowerment among others.He assured the electorate that the MP would work with the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) to find lasting solutions to all the issues raised to held advance the development of the constituency.Mr Richar d Asare, Western Regional Chairman of the Federation of Persons with Disability, called on citizens to approach this year's election with a peaceful, unity attitude and tolerance.'Do not allow any politician to bribe you into doing something that will derail the peace and stability of the nation, because Ghana is all that we have,' he noted.Other residents took turns to speak on the developmental gaps within their communities for redress.Source: Ghana News Agency