I don’t manage the one-million-dollar per constituency fund – Western Regional Minister

Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Western Regional Minister, has refuted an assertion that he has received some eight million dollars accruing from the One-million-dollar per constituency proposal by the government over the eight years.

He said, "I am the MP of the constituency, but I can tell you that no eight million dollars has been credited to my account…I am aware of this propaganda by my opponent, but it will not stand ".

Darko-Mensah, also the Member of Parliament for Takoradi, was responding to a question by a concerned member of the constituency at the Parliamentary Dialogue organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) for candidates within the constituency.

In the Takoradi Constituency, the contest is between the incumbent MP, Darko-Mensah, and Fredrick Faidoo, the NDC candidate.

However, Faidoo did not attend the debate, which was mooted for candidates to articulate their vision and policies to the electorate.

Darko-Mensah tasked the questioner to follow the opportunities the Rights to Information Bill offered to write for further information on the matter from the disbursement office.

He noted that the central government directly disbursed the constituency monies just as the MP's common fund and entreated the youth to carefully study and understand government programmes and how they worked to avoid unwarranted controversies, especially in an election year.

As part of his programmes, he mentioned the Takoradi Prosperity Scheme to offer opportunities to many youth, entrepreneurship, and industrialisation to enhance economic lives, support women-led SMEs, and the Kobby Youth Equipment Initiative, among others.

The MP for Takoradi said the current NPP government had invested so well in human capital development, infrastructure, and all sectors of the economy to engineer the prosperity so desired by all…and we can only ask Ghanaians for their mandate to enable the government to finish with ongoing projects and start new ones.

"Let commend the government of Nana Akufo-Addo by voting for the NPP and Myself again…I want to also pledge my commitment to a peaceful election in the Region as the Head of Regional Security Council ", he added.

Justice Ennin, the Regional Director of the NCCE, stated that research by the Commission showed that more people were requiring the government to provide more job opportunities and an enabling environment for young people to unearth their potential through quality education.

Flight Officer Ibrahim Mohammed, from the Air Force Base in Takoradi, encouraged all Ghanaians to protect and promote the enviable peace of the country.

He said no religion advocated violent behaviour and advised the youth not to allow small tokens from politicians and other interested parties to influence them to indulge in evil.