The opposition National Democratic Congress has slated its parliamentary primaries on May 13, 2023. Many new entrants have laced their boots to contest for slots in the various constituencies to enter parliament in 2025 on the ticket of the party.
While some are targeting seats in orphan constituencies with no sitting MPs, others are seeking to dislodge incumbents. There are however some sitting MPs who are hanging their boots after years of performing legislative duties. Here is a look at ten relatively young aspirants to look out for, in the run up to the NDC primaries in no particular order.
Emmanuel Kojo Jones-Mensah
Real Estate mogul Emmanuel Kojo Jones-Mensah, is eyeing the Keta seat. Emmanuel Kojo Jones-Mensah is one of the young millionaires in Ghana who is making the business environment of the Ghanaian market very competitive. With over a decade of experience in construction, design, and global real estate development, he has established himself as a business mogul.
He is the CEO and Founder of the Empire Conglomerate, which comprises various businesses in various sectors: Empire Concrete Ltd, Empire Domus Ltd, Dominion International Petroleum Ltd, KJM Trading Ltd and Kings-crown Media. His innate ability lies in identifying, maximizing, and facilitating business development opportunities for creating living experiences that are seen as beyond expectations
After successfully acquiring a Bachelor of Laws in Business Law in 2011, he further pursued a Master of Business Administration in 2012 at Coventry University in the UK where he specialized in Oil and Gas Management.
Kwame Obeng Adjinah
Adjinah also known as ROYAL, a native of Basengele, a suburb of Bibiani in the Western North Region is lacing his boots for the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai seat. Kwame Obeng Adjinah is the Managing Director of Wood Acres Limited, a real estate consulting and development company he owns. He is also the Chief Operating Officer of the Omri Projekts Ltd, a real estate construction company he Co-owns.
Kwame is a Housing Consultant for Centre for Affordable Housing Finance (South Africa) for Seychelles Island. He is currently serving on the 13-member Technical Working Group of the Ministry of Works and Housing on the Disposal and Completion of the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project.
He completed Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Land Economy and afterward worked for Ghana Home loans as a Junior Collateral Management Analyst.
He’s a Chartered Valuation and an Estate Surveyor certified by the Ghana Institute of Surveyors, and a Professional Alternative Dispute Resolution Practitioner with specialty in real estate dispute resolution and management.
Baba Sadiq Abdulai Abu
Baba Sadiq Abdulai Abu is a trained media, communications and sustainability specialist and entrepreneur having worked his way up in the Ghanaian & African media, creative and sustainability industries within the last 17 years working variously as a media and communications executive, channel manager, sustainability specialist and an entrepreneur.
Sadiq is the Founder and former (CEO) of 3 Media Networks Limited, operators of music media brand, 3Music TV as well as the former executive producer of the annual 3Music Awards, the 3Music Awards Womens Brunch, the 3Music Fan Festival. Sadiq is currently pursuing a post-graduate LLB at the African University College of Communications (AUCC),
Eric Edem Agbana
Agbana who is also the immediate past deputy National Youth Organizer for the NDC was actively involved in students’ politics which saw him serve as SRC President for the University of Ghana, Legon. Eric Edem Agbana is a Management Consultant, Social Entrepreneur, Sports Administrator and Politician, with over a decade experience in youth development, Volunteerism and youth leadership.
He is a Fellow of the prestigious African Young Leaders Fellowship of the European University Institute, a Doctoral Student in Leadership and Governance and hold two Master’s Degree in Economic Policy Management, and Development Finance respectively, and host of other post graduate certificates.
Currently, he is the Project Manager for the African Centre for Development Finance and also, the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of Young Apostles FC, a football club in Ghana
Lamtiig Abugri Apanga Esq.
Another aspirant to watch is private legal practitioner Lamtiig Abugri Apanga. Lamtiig Abugri Apanga is a native of Gane Zanleregu of the Nandam District in the Upper East Region.
He attended St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School, Accra, he holds HND in Marketing from Takoradi Polytechnic (Takoradi Technical University) and has a Bachelor of Arts Certificate from the prestigious University of Ghana and Bachelors of Law (LLB) from the same university. He holds a practicing certificate in Law (LLB) from the Ghana Law School.
He has been a private legal practitioner and currently the Managing Partner of Prestige Partners, a private legal firm co-founded by Lawyer Apanga. He served on the Protocol and Accreditation Committee of the NDC during the National Delegates Conference recently held in Accra.
Francisca Mawufemor Adjei
It is going to be all women fight when Francisca Mawufemor Adjei slugs it out with Joycelyn Tetteh; the incumbent MP for North Dayi. Francisca Mawufemor Adjei served as the Branch women organizer, Ayawaso central constituency (Freeman hostel branch), from 2004 -2012.
She was a Branch member in the Odododiodo Constituency from 2012 and became the deputy constituency treasurer in 2018 till 2022. She had an internship with GBC and National service with Accra Metropolitan Assembly.
Francisca worked with the Electoral Commission as an officer during the 2012 voter registration. She also served as the Personal Assistant to George Lawson (then Deputy General Secretary of the NDC) in 2012. Francisca worked with the Engineers and Planners (E&P) from 2013 till 2022.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu
The former deputy communications minister narrowly lost the Abura Asebu Kwamankese seat to Morris Donkor of the New Patriotic Party after winning the NDC primaries. Now Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse, the senior lecturer at the University of Ghana who is currently an AIMS-Canada Research Chair in Climate Change Science is expected to give Felix a run for his money.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu is a product of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He served as deputy communications minister under the Mahama administration. He is currently works at the office of former President John Dramani Mahama.
Prince Benson Mankotam
Prince Benson Mankotam is a young private legal practitioner who has set his eyes on the Sunyani East Seat. Prince Benson Mankotam had his professional law education at the Ghana School of Law after obtaining his LLB at the University of Ghana, Legon.
He also had his first degree; BA. Political Science with Philosophy & Classics at the same University. He is a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana. Prince is a Legal Associate with experience in Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency, Labour Adoption, Debt Recovery and Intellectual Property.
John Dumelo
Celebrated Ghanaian actor, farmer, and politician, John Dumelo will be another candidate to watch in the impending parliamentary primaries for the opposition NDC. The actor created a lot of buzz in the 2020 elections by contesting for the Ayawaso West Wuogon seat which he lost to the incumbent Lydia Seyram Alhassan.
John Dumelo had his basic school education at Christ the King School in Accra and his secondary school education at Achimota Senior High School. He further studied Civil Engineering at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
During the National Democratic Congress DC Party’s Campaign In 2016, Dumelo was one of the most influential and outstanding celebrities who were seen campaigning for the NDC Government. It is said and believed that, as an appreciation for his engagement and patriotism to the Party, he was appointed by the former president of Ghana H.E John Dramani Mahama, to serve his Party as a Director of Operations for a pro-NDC youth group for the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Amelia Amenate (DELA Goldheart)
This might be the first time many are hearing the name Amelia Amenate even though the bearer of this name is very popular controversial woman in the country especially on social media. Many will remember her battle with private legal practitioner Ace Annan Ankoma on social media and how it ended that’s if it has indeed ended.
Dela has been involved in activities of the NDC both at the national and constituency level. Amelia Amenate was part of the 2020 Batch of Gates Cambridge Scholars. She was to pursue PhD in Gender Studies at the University of Cambridge. She is the first Ghanaian woman to become a Gates Cambridge Scholar as a PhD candidate.
Biography Confronting issues affect women and girls has always been part of Dela’s development process. According to her growing up in a small coastal town, she noticed boys are treated unequally and women and men are held to different expectations.
The above experience pushed her to focus on gender issues from a very early stage of her life. She obtained her first degree in political science at the University of Ghana in 2014 and later followed up with masters in American Culture Studies at the Bowling Green State University in 2020.
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