CENTRAL REGION READY FOR ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION.

By: Kwamina Bamfo-Agyei

Despite being the educational Centre of Ghana and a region of excellence due to the acclaimed international tourism site, Central Region is one of the poorest regions in Ghana.
Dr Alfred Kuranchie, expressed concern about the fact that the region was the fourth poorest in the country and therefore called for the support of all stakeholders and individual to help develop the region to the status it deserves.

An Agricultural  Economist Dr Alfred Kuranchie, on Wednesday 6^th February 2013 was elected as the Central Regional representative of the Council of State.

He had 38 votes to beat the incumbent representative of the Council of State for the Central Region, Dr Ato Essuman an Educationist  who polled two votes while Mr Raymond Aboagye, a 23-year old third year student of the University of Cape Coast, had no vote.

The keenly contested election was conducted by the Regional Electoral Commission with a 40-member electoral college drawn from all the districts in the region. The Electoral College comprises the District/Municipal/ Metropolitan Chief Executives and the Presiding Members.

He said as the elected member of the Council of State, he will play advocacy role to attract investment to the region so as to provide employment to many youths in the region. He noted that for the past eight years Dr. Ato Essuman represented the region as a member of Council State no significant economic opportunity has been achieved rather the region has always occupied the fourth position of the poverty ranking, the quality of education at the basic level is nothing to write home about and said the region had the first position in the 2012 prevalence rate on HIV/AIDS.

Dr Kuranchie reiterated that he would do everything possible to bring back the glory of the region. He pledged that he would give President John Dramani Mahama  the needed advise and would support all the development plans the President had for the region to enhance the living conditions of the people.

Mrs. Ama Benyiwaa Doe, the Caretaker Central Regional Minister congratulated Dr Kuranchie and urged him to effectively carry out his mandate and help the region to salvage its image of being among the poorest in the country.

She also urged the other two contestants who did not win, to share their expertise with Dr Kuranchie and solidly stand behind him in his endeavours to help improve upon the development needs of the region.

For his part, Dr Essuman congratulated the member-elect and promised to share his eight years' experience as a Council member and that he would also support him in all his endeavours.

Mr. Aboagye also commended the new Council member and called on him to take into consideration youth issues in all his plans since the youth are the future leaders of the country.