The Member of Parliament (MP) for Amenfi Central, Hon. Joana Gyan Cudjoe, has called on residents of the constituency to reject misinformation circulating on social media and focus on building a long-term development agenda for the area.
She said although the people of Amenfi Central had every right to demand improved infrastructure and better social services, the development challenges confronting the constituency had accumulated over several decades and could not realistically be resolved within a single year.
In a statement, the MP said she understood the frustration and expectations of residents who continued to demand better roads, reliable telecommunication networks, electricity, potable water, healthcare, education, employment opportunities, financial services and greater government presence.
She, however, urged residents to assess her performance based on verifiable evidence and results rather than allegations and political commentary circulating on platforms such as TikTok, Facebook and WhatsApp.
“An allegation without evidence should not automatically become truth simply because it is repeated on social media,” she said.
Call for verification.
Hon. Cudjoe said she welcomed constructive criticism and accountability but urged residents to verify claims before accepting or sharing them.
She encouraged residents to visit communities, engage beneficiaries and examine projects, approvals, interventions and outcomes before reaching conclusions about her performance as MP.
According to her, “the election is over” and while some people might already be preparing for the next election, her focus was on finding solutions and initiating projects that would improve the lives of constituents.
She said she was not asking residents to praise her at the expense of accountability, but wanted a fair assessment of both the challenges and progress made during her first year in office.
‘I inherited the challenges’
The MP said many of the major challenges confronting Amenfi Central, including poor road networks, inadequate telecommunication connectivity, electricity difficulties, limited healthcare and educational infrastructure, water shortages, unemployment and inadequate government services, predated her tenure.
She noted that she had been in Parliament for approximately one year, while many of the challenges had accumulated over about 32 years.
“Decades of accumulated challenges cannot honestly or realistically disappear within twelve months. That is not an excuse. It is the reality of the task,” she said.
She nevertheless accepted responsibility for contributing to the solution and said efforts had already begun.
One-year performance
According to Hon. Cudjoe, within her first year in office, she had worked to create or facilitate opportunities for more than 300 graduates and non-graduates.
She also said she had supported teachers and educational initiatives benefiting thousands of children, assisted students with educational needs and pursued interventions involving schools, boreholes, CHPS compounds and other community projects.
She said support had also been provided to women, businesses and farmers, while assistance had been given to constituents requiring medical treatment and surgery.
The MP further mentioned electricity-related interventions and said she had, where possible, committed personal resources while lobbying the government and other stakeholders for larger projects beyond the financial capacity of an individual MP.
She described the first year as “a good start”, stressing that the work needed to continue.
Five priority areas
Hon. Cudjoe identified roads, telecommunication connectivity, electricity, healthcare and education as five priority areas requiring urgent attention.
On roads, she said improved road networks were critical to agriculture, education, healthcare, business and investment because farmers needed reliable routes to transport their produce, while patients, teachers, students and businesses also depended on good roads.
She also identified reliable telephone and internet connectivity as essential for communication, education, banking, business, healthcare, emergency response and participation in the digital economy.
On electricity, she said the constituency needed extensions, transformers, meters and improved reliability through collaboration with the appropriate institutions, including the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Healthcare infrastructure
On healthcare, the MP called for improved CHPS compounds, health centres and hospitals, together with adequate numbers of doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists and other health professionals.
She also mentioned the need for laboratories, ambulances, medical equipment, medicines, reliable electricity and water, connectivity and accommodation for health workers.
She said Amenfi Central should develop a long-term healthcare plan to assess the need for strategically located major hospitals or upgraded facilities, including a proposal for approximately five major facilities where justified by population and service needs.
Education expansion
The MP said the development of education infrastructure should go beyond the construction of classrooms.
She called for qualified teachers, libraries, laboratories, computers, internet connectivity, electricity, water, sanitation, teaching and learning materials and technical workshops.
She also stressed the importance of teachers’ accommodation, particularly in communities where the lack of housing could make it difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel.
She said the constituency would also need appropriate student hostels and boarding facilities as secondary and tertiary education expanded.
Her long-term vision, she said, was to provide residents with greater opportunities to progress from basic education to university and professional training closer to home.
Water and government services
Hon. Cudjoe said access to clean and reliable water remained essential to the development of the constituency.
She called for collaboration with relevant government and community water institutions, including Ghana Water Ltd. where applicable, as well as the provision of boreholes and other appropriate water systems.
She further proposed bringing government services closer to residents by strengthening the presence and capacity of relevant institutions.
Among the institutions she identified were the ECG, Ghana Water Ltd., Lands Commission, Minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Forestry Commission, Ghana Geological Survey Authority, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), National Road Safety Authority, Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service, National Ambulance Service and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).
She also mentioned the need for stronger services in health, education, agriculture, cocoa-sector development and business support.
Government services complex
The MP proposed an institutional audit to determine which government institutions were already present, which services were missing, which facilities required renovation or expansion and which services needed to be brought closer to the people.
She said the government could renovate existing facilities, expand them, rent suitable premises, acquire appropriate properties or construct purpose-built facilities depending on the circumstances.
In the long term, she said, Amenfi Central could explore the establishment of a Government Services and Administrative Complex.
She stressed, however, that the objective should not merely be to construct offices and put up signboards, but to ensure that the institutions had the personnel, logistics and resources required to perform their mandates effectively.
Accommodation and logistics
Hon. Cudjoe said the constituency also needed to address accommodation challenges confronting essential workers.
She identified police officers, teachers, doctors, nurses, firefighters, ambulance personnel, engineers, agricultural officers and other technical workers as among those who required suitable working and living conditions.
She said providing accommodation could help attract and retain professionals in Amenfi Central.
She also called for government agencies to be provided with vehicles, motorbikes and other operational logistics to enable them to reach communities across the constituency.
Natural resources
The MP said Amenfi Central’s natural resources, including gold, cocoa, rubber and agricultural land, presented opportunities for economic development if properly managed.
She called for accessible services from institutions such as the Minerals Commission, Lands Commission, EPA, GRA, Forestry Commission and Ghana Geological Survey Authority.
She said residents should have access to reliable information on licensing, land registration, legitimate mining, environmental requirements, taxes and lawful fees.
According to her, responsible investment and natural resource management could generate jobs and support sustainable development while protecting communities and the environment.
Jobs and investment
Hon. Cudjoe linked infrastructure development to employment creation, saying investment in roads, schools, hospitals, government institutions and other facilities would generate opportunities for local workers and businesses.
She said construction projects could create employment for masons, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, drivers and suppliers, while hospitals, schools, banks and government offices would also require workers.
She therefore appealed to banks, regulated financial institutions and responsible investors to consider Amenfi Central as a destination for investment.
She said opportunities existed in agriculture, agro-processing, healthcare, education, technology, housing, logistics, manufacturing, hospitality and other suitable sectors.
Partnerships
The MP acknowledged that the scale of the development challenges required collaboration beyond the capacity of Parliament.
She therefore called for partnerships involving the government, ministries and agencies, private-sector companies, banks, investors, contractors, telecommunications companies, mining and agricultural firms, universities, healthcare organisations, NGOs, foundations, diplomatic missions, development partners, international organisations, philanthropists and the diaspora.
She urged potential partners to bring expertise, technology, investment, networks and opportunities to the constituency.
Beyond political divisions
Hon. Cudjoe also appealed to residents to put aside political differences and unite around development.
She said the constituency’s challenges did not discriminate between supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
“A bad road does not ask whether you are NDC or NPP. A sick child does not have a political party. Poor network affects everybody. Electricity does not choose political colours,” she said.
She therefore called for a collective effort to confront what she described as the common challenges of poor roads, inadequate connectivity, electricity problems, inadequate healthcare, educational deficits, water shortages, unemployment, poverty and lack of opportunities.
13-to-20-year roadmap
The MP proposed the development of a 13-to-20-year development roadmap for Amenfi Central.
She said the scale of infrastructure and institutional development required careful planning and could not be achieved within a single parliamentary term.
The proposed roadmap, she explained, would contain one-year, four-year, medium-term and long-term targets, with progress measured annually.
She emphasised that the proposal did not mean residents would have to wait 20 years before seeing development.
“We start now. We work now. We lobby now. We build now. We seek partners and investors now,” she said.
She called for regular development scorecards to enable constituents to assess what had been inherited, what had been started, what had been approved and funded, what had been completed, what remained outstanding and what would come next.
Accountability
Hon. Cudjoe said she was prepared to be held accountable for her stewardship but urged constituents to assess performance using facts, evidence, timelines and results.
She said she was not asking for time to “sit down” but for the opportunity to work and demonstrate progress.
She also urged constituents who had constructive ideas, knowledge of potential investors or connections to development partners to come forward and contribute to the development agenda.
‘Social media cannot build Amenfi Central’
The MP said social-media arguments and misinformation could not deliver the infrastructure and opportunities needed by the people.
She urged residents to shift the conversation from political attacks to practical solutions.
“TikTok arguments cannot build hospitals.
Facebook insults cannot extend electricity. WhatsApp rumours cannot construct roads.
Misinformation cannot create jobs,” she said.
She called on residents to verify information, recognise genuine progress and contribute ideas and partnerships towards development.
She also invoked God’s guidance and support, praying for wisdom, favour and opportunities for the constituency and the country.
‘Our answer will be results’
Concluding her message, Hon. Cudjoe said the ultimate response to criticism and allegations would be tangible results.
She said facts would be the response to rumours, evidence to misinformation, unity to division, planning to decades of challenges and infrastructure, institutions and investment to underdevelopment.
She urged residents not only to identify problems but also to participate in finding solutions.
“This is bigger than Joana Gyan Cudjoe. This is bigger than NDC or NPP. This is Amenfi Central,” she said.
She called for a united development vision under the theme: “One People. One Vision. One Roadmap. One Stronger Amenfi Central.”
She further stressed that the proposed long-term development plan was not intended merely for the next election, but for the next generation.
