Why Sawla-Tuna-Kalba Constituency still needs Andrew Dari Chiwitey - Part I

Upon assumption of office as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba (STK) Constituency in 2017, Hon. Andrew Dari Chiwitey has shown servant leadership competence.

Over the years, Hon. Chiwitey who is the only Birifor MP in Ghana, has relationship-development expertise, listening and a humble personality.

The immense contribution of Hon. Chiwitey to society with his servant leadership style earned him an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters (D.HL) in 2024 from the Elohim Theological College and Seminary in Tamale.

Hon. Dr. Chiwitey also received an MSc of Human Resources Management, a BSc degree in Management Studies, an HND in Secretaryship & Management Studies and a Teacher Certificate. Before going to parliament in 2017, he held several positions in the public sector.

In Parliament, Hon. Chiwitey is a deputy ranking member for Works and Housing as well as a member of Government Assurance Committee and championing the needs and concerns of his constituents on the floor of Parliament.

Having been in Parliament for the second term for the rural STK constituency while his Party is in opposition, Hon. Chiwitey has undertaken a number of developmental projects in STK worthy of mention.

Before handling these developmental projects that the MP has done, let’s take a short look at some basic information on the STK constituency.

Since the creation of the STK district in 2004, it has always been the traditional seat for the NDC. The STK district is located in the western part of the Savannah Region with a total area of about 4,601 km2 and has Sawla as its capital town. According to the Ghana Statistical Service 2014 report, the STK district has a recorded population of 99,863 comprising 48.3 percent males and 51.7 percent females. The STK district is predominantly rural with about 85,918 people living in rural areas and only 13,945 people are living in the urban areas.

Now looking at the achievements of Hon. Dr. Chiwitey, he has been doing a lot of developmental projects in his constituency as their MP although his Party, NDC is not in power. Some of these achievements of Hon. Chiwitey range from health, education, water and sanitation, sports, and other forms of support for his constituents.

In the area of health, Hon. Chiwitey provided ambulances for the Sawla District hospital and Kalba Health Centre, renovated Tuna Health post, Kalba Health centre, Kaawie CHIPS compound and Nakpala CHIPS compound.

Regarding education, Hon. Chiwitey has been providing mathematical sets to BECE candidates since 2017. The STK MP has also annually sponsored mock exams for BECE candidates, supplied 5000 exercise books and 500 dual desks to basic school pupils and basic schools respectively. He also offered sponsorship to over 300 students in the constituency.

When it comes to water and sanitation, Hon. Chiwitey repaired boreholes in Kpali, Blema, Basinayiri, Tela-tumah, Nyanyama, Samanbo, Kpoolteng, and Naafaa, as well as supplied boreholes to Tilleyir, Dandaperi, Bobalanyuro No1, Changbalyir, Goyir No2, Jusieyir, Toryir, Dabori, Tuna (Gburdi) and Domogburi. This is done to provide potable water to the constituents.

Hon. Chiwitey also takes sport development in his district so seriously. For instance, he supplied over 200 jerseys and footballs to teams for Savannah and Yaaman football tournaments including the Ghana Police Service in Sawla. The rest of the specific achievements of Hon. Chiwitey covering these 4 thematic areas of development (i.e. health, education, water and sanitation and sport) and other forms of support given to other communities will be captured in Part II.

Conclusion

Despite being an opposition MP since 2017, Hon. Chiwitey did creditably well by putting the interest and development of his constituents first. Not only is Hon. Chiwitey providing the health, educational, water and sanitation and entertainment needs of the constituents in the STK but also competently representing their concerns on the floor of Parliament.

With the 2024 parliamentary elections at the corner, Hon. Chiwitey should be retained to do more for the STK constituency when the NDC and former President win the 2024 general elections. Look out for more achievements of Hon. Chiwitey in Part II.