Seji Saji to win

Mr. Seji Saji is a young man in his thirties. He is a product of Cape Coast Polytechnic and a student of University of Ghana, Legon where he studied Civil Engineering and Youth in Development work (Commonwealth Youth Programme). He is also a professional teacher who has taught for 11 years. Four of which was in the Ashiaman constituency where he resides.

Seji Saji had his secondary and teacher training education in Abuakwa State College and Kibi Training College respectively. He joined the NPP in 1992 at the Training College. While at the Polytechnic he and Mr. Richard Anane-Adabo the then Central Regional Youth Organizer of the NPP and now the DCE of Upper Denkyera revived the Cape Coast Polytechnic Chapter of Tescon. Seji Saji was elected the President of the Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students (GNUPS) Cape Coast Polytechnic branch in 2000. His power of articulation and exceptional eloquence won him many admirers and his eventual election as the coordinating secretary who is the head of the permanent secretariat of GNUPS from 2001 to 2002.

Seji Saji has rendered valuable services to mother Ghana even at this youthful age and continues to do so.

In 2001 he contributed immensely to the work of the student loan restructuring committee, whose work eventually culminated in the new students loan trust.

In 2002 his Excellency President J A Kufour appointed him a member of the President’s committee on the review of Educational Reforms. The work of this committee is at its implementation stage.

In 2003 he together with some former student leaders founded the National Youth Platform (NYP).He became the deputy secretary general and associate executive director of the NYP. As Deputy Secretary General, he was very instrumental in the development of the Ghana National Youth Charter by chairing the committee that drew the draft charter. He organized several programme throughout the country to solicit the views of all youth groups on the draft charter sponsored by the UNDP through the National Governance Programme.

In 2005 he was elected at the congress of the Federation of Youth Associations of Ghana (FEDYAG) as the Vice President, a position he still holds. He was also instrumental in the appraisal of the National Youth Policy by the National Youth Platform (NYP). He made sure that the youth of his constituency participated in all the programs of his organization, the NYP.

He is currently a member of the research and communication committee of the NPP in Ashiaman constituency and also the secretary to the Greater Accra regional NPP research and intelligence committee.

He has a firm believe that liberal democracy is the best political ideology that would put Ghana on the world economic map but also feel strongly that government must make interventions that should go a long way to address some of the very serious social imbalance in the nation. The critical areas include Health, Education, employment and social welfare.

He said that Ashiaman has something the whole of Ghana need to learn from and that is co-existence.Ashiaman is a microcosm of Ghana in the sence that all the ethnic groups in the country can be found there but all these ethnic groups live together in perfect harmony.Ashiaman is one the fastest growing towns in the country today so there is the need for development authorities to make sure social amenities are expanded to meet the needs of the growing population, he stated that he will employ innovative ways to advocate for the improvement of education, sanitation and essential social amenities in the constituency.

He believes that his candidature will bring a new dynamism that will infuse optimism with competence and confidence. He promises the people of Ashiaman a leadership that will exude the confidence and conviction that success is possible and attainable. He has a strong faith in theory of future preference which holds that, the future can and must be better than the present, and that we all have a responsibility in making it so.

Seji Saji holds the view that the effective role of the youth in national development in the future depended on their development today, there is the need to build a Ghana that will consider and involve its youth when it comes to decision-making and implementation. Most development programmes, such as millennium development goals (MDGs), the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) recognize the effective role the youth can play when it comes to its implementation. However this cannot be achieved fully if the youth do not have an adopted document to serve as the roadmap hence the urgent need for a youth policy and a youth charter which will become a clear vision to ascertain the attainment of the aspiration of the youth.

He enjoys a lot of support among the youth and the women who constitute the greater percentage of the electorate. The goodwill he enjoys now throws a big challenge to the delegates who would be voting at the parliamentary primaries to choose a candidate that will sell among the larger electoral spectrum to make yet another count for the NPP in 2008.