Amenfi Central Member of Parliament, Joana Gyan Cudjoe, has appealed to residents of the constituency to reject unverified claims circulating on social media and instead focus on evidence, accountability and long-term development.
The MP said while she welcomed constructive criticism and legitimate scrutiny of her performance, allegations without evidence should not be accepted as facts simply because they are repeatedly circulated on platforms such as TikTok, Facebook and WhatsApp.
According to her, the constituency is confronted with decades of accumulated developmental challenges that cannot realistically be resolved within a single year, although meaningful steps could be taken to demonstrate that the process of transformation has begun.
In a statement addressed to the people of Amenfi Central, Madam Gyan Cudjoe acknowledged concerns over poor roads, unreliable telecommunication networks, electricity challenges, inadequate healthcare and educational infrastructure, water shortages, unemployment, limited government services and insufficient investment.
She said these concerns were legitimate and assured residents that she accepted the responsibility of working with them to address the challenges.
The MP urged constituents to independently verify information before believing or sharing allegations concerning her work.
“I welcome genuine criticism, questions and accountability. But an allegation without evidence should not automatically become truth simply because it is repeated on social media,” she said.
She encouraged residents to visit project sites, engage beneficiaries and examine approvals, interventions and results before drawing conclusions about her performance.
Madam Gyan Cudjoe said the focus of her mandate should be on finding solutions rather than preparing for the next election.
“The election is over. While others may already be thinking about the next election, I am thinking about the next solution and the next project,” she stated.
The MP said many of the challenges confronting Amenfi Central existed long before she assumed office and had accumulated over several decades.
She mentioned poor road networks, weak telecommunication connectivity, electricity challenges, inadequate healthcare and educational facilities, water problems, unemployment, inadequate government services, insufficient staff accommodation and limited investment among the problems requiring attention.
According to her, she has been MP for approximately one year, while many of the challenges have developed over about 32 years.
She, however, stressed that the long-standing nature of the problems should not be used as an excuse for inaction.
“I did not create these problems, but I accept responsibility for helping to solve them. And the work has started,” she said.
Madam Gyan Cudjoe said her office had, within the early period of her tenure, worked to create or facilitate opportunities for more than 300 graduates and non-graduates.
She also cited support for teachers and educational initiatives benefiting thousands of children, assistance to students with educational needs, efforts toward the provision of schools, boreholes and CHPS compounds, as well as community development projects.
She said her office had additionally supported women, businesses and farmers, assisted residents requiring medical treatment and surgeries and supported electricity-related interventions where possible.
The MP added that she had also committed personal resources to some interventions while lobbying government and other stakeholders for larger projects that could not be financed solely through the resources available to a Member of Parliament.
She therefore appealed to constituents to recognise progress where it existed while continuing to demand accountability.
“I am not asking for praise instead of accountability. I am asking for fairness. When something is wrong, say it. But when something good happens, acknowledge it too,” she said.
Madam Gyan Cudjoe identified five key areas that she believes require urgent attention in Amenfi Central.
They are roads, telecommunication and internet connectivity, electricity, healthcare and education.
She said improved roads were critical to agriculture, education, healthcare, transportation, commerce and investment.
“Farmers must be able to transport their produce, children and teachers must be able to reach schools, patients must be able to access hospitals, businesses must be able to operate and investors must be able to come,” she said.
On connectivity, she said reliable telephone and internet services were increasingly essential for education, banking, business, healthcare, emergency response and participation in the digital economy.
She also identified electricity extensions, transformers, meters and reliable power supply as important components of the constituency’s development.
The MP said healthcare development should go beyond the construction of physical facilities.
She called for more CHPS compounds and health centres, improved hospitals, qualified doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists and other health professionals, as well as laboratories, ambulances, medical equipment and medicines.
She also emphasised the need for staff accommodation to attract and retain health professionals in the constituency.
According to her, the long-term development strategy should include a professional assessment of the constituency’s healthcare needs and explore the possibility of establishing or upgrading multiple strategically located major health facilities.
She said an ambition of approximately five major facilities could be considered where justified by population, geography and healthcare needs.
“A hospital without professionals and equipment cannot save lives,” she stressed.
On education, Madam Gyan Cudjoe said the constituency needed a comprehensive approach covering kindergarten, primary and junior high school through senior high school, TVET, STEM, ICT and tertiary education.
She also called for expanded opportunities in teacher education, nursing and midwifery, agriculture, mining, environmental studies, technical and business education.
She said the long-term vision should ultimately include universities, university campuses and other accredited tertiary institutions where feasible.
According to her, the provision of classrooms alone would not be sufficient.
Schools would also require qualified teachers, libraries, laboratories, computers, internet connectivity, electricity, water, sanitation, teaching materials and technical workshops.
She further called for teachers’ quarters and appropriate staff accommodation, particularly in communities where housing challenges make it difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel.
The MP also said student hostels and boarding facilities would become increasingly important as secondary and tertiary education opportunities expanded.
Clean and reliable water supply was another area highlighted by the MP.
She called for interventions through relevant government and community-water institutions, including Ghana Water Limited where its mandate applies, as well as boreholes and other appropriate water systems.
She said access to potable water was fundamental to the health and wellbeing of residents and should therefore remain a development ppriority
Madam Gyan Cudjoe also called for an institutional audit of government services available in Amenfi Central.
She mentioned institutions including the Electricity Company of Ghana, Ghana Water Limited, Lands Commission, Minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana Revenue Authority, Forestry Commission, Ghana Geological Survey Authority, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, National Road Safety Authority, Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service, National Ambulance Service and the National Disaster Management Organisation.
She also identified health, education, agriculture, cocoa-sector and business-support institutions as important components of the constituency’s institutional development.
She said the audit should determine which institutions were already operating in the area, which required better facilities, which needed expansion and which services needed to be brought closer to residents.
She proposed that government could renovate existing facilities, expand them, rent suitable premises, acquire properties or construct purpose-built facilities where necessary.
In the long term, she said Amenfi Central could explore the establishment of a **Government Services and Administrative Complex** to improve access to public services.
The MP stressed that the objective should not simply be to establish government offices but to ensure that institutions have the resources required to perform their functions effectively.
She said offices should have qualified personnel, appropriate accommodation where necessary, vehicles and motorbikes, equipment, technology, electricity, water, internet connectivity, operational resources, maintenance and adequate funding.
She called for stronger institutional presence and service delivery in areas including electricity, water, land administration, mining regulation, environmental protection, taxation, driver and vehicle services, policing, emergency response, healthcare, education and agriculture.
Madam Gyan Cudjoe said staff accommodation was another critical component of development.
She argued that police officers, teachers, doctors, nurses, firefighters, ambulance personnel, engineers, agricultural officers, regulators and other essential workers needed appropriate working and living conditions.
“If professionals are posted here, we must ask: Where will they work? Where will they live?” she asked.
She said the objective should be to make Amenfi Central a place where professionals would be willing to live, work and raise their families rather than seeking immediate transfers because of inadequate facilities.
She also called for government agencies to receive operational vehicles, motorbikes and other logistics to enable their personnel to reach communities across the constituency.
The MP noted that Amenfi Central was endowed with gold, cocoa, rubber, agricultural land and other natural resources.
She therefore called for stronger access to relevant government institutions involved in land administration, mining, environmental regulation, taxation, forestry and geological services.
She said residents needed clear information on lawful mining, licensing requirements, land registration, environmental obligations, taxes and legitimate government fees.
According to her, making regulatory information accessible could help residents comply with the law while supporting responsible investment, job creation and sustainable development.
Madam Gyan Cudjoe argued that infrastructure and institutional development could have a direct impact on employment and economic activity.
She said road construction could create jobs for local workers, while hospitals, schools, government offices, banks and other institutions would create employment opportunities.
She also noted that construction projects would generate demand for artisans such as masons, carpenters, electricians and plumbers, alongside drivers, suppliers and other service providers.
She therefore called for banks and regulated financial institutions to consider expanding their presence in Amenfi Central to support farmers, women, young entrepreneurs and businesses.
She also invited responsible investors to explore opportunities in agriculture and agro-processing, mining-related services, healthcare, education, technology, housing, logistics, manufacturing and hospitality.
The Amenfi Central MP acknowledged that the scale of the constituency’s developmental needs exceeded the financial capacity of one Member of Parliament.
She therefore called for partnerships involving government ministries and agencies, the private sector, banks, investors, telecommunications companies, mining and agricultural companies, universities, healthcare organisations, NGOs, foundations, development partners, diplomatic missions, international organisations, philanthropists and members of the diaspora.
She urged potential partners to bring investment, expertise, technology, connections and opportunities to the constituency.
Madam Gyan Cudjoe also appealed to residents to put partisan politics aside when addressing developmental challenges.
She argued that poor roads, inadequate healthcare, unreliable electricity and weak telecommunication networks affect residents regardless of their political affiliation.
“A bad road does not ask whether you are NDC or NPP. A sick child does not have a political party,” she said.
She identified poor roads, inadequate connectivity, electricity challenges, healthcare gaps, educational deficiencies, water shortages, unemployment, poverty and limited opportunities as the common challenges that residents should collectively confront.
Given the scale of the challenges, the MP proposed the development of a 13-to-20-year roadmap for Amenfi Central.
She explained that such a roadmap would not mean postponing development for two decades but would provide a structured framework for setting immediate, four-year, medium-term and long-term targets.
She said progress should be measurable annually, with clear targets covering roads, electricity, connectivity, healthcare, education, water, government institutions, staff accommodation, security, agriculture, responsible mining, environmental protection, land administration, banking, housing, investment, skills development and tertiary education.
According to her, every year should produce measurable progress, while every four years could be accompanied by a comprehensive development scorecard detailing what had been inherited, initiated, approved, funded, completed and remained outstanding.
The MP maintained that social-media debates and political attacks could not substitute for actual development.
She urged residents to channel their energy into constructive criticism, ideas, partnerships and investment opportunities.
“TikTok arguments cannot build hospitals. Facebook insults cannot extend electricity. WhatsApp rumours cannot construct roads. Misinformation cannot create jobs,” she said.
She therefore called on residents who had constructive ideas, knowledge of potential investors or connections to development partners to bring them forward.
Madam Gyan Cudjoe concluded by reaffirming her commitment to working with residents to address the constituency’s developmental challenges.
She said her response to rumours would be facts, misinformation would be countered with evidence, division with unity, political distractions with focus and decades of underdevelopment with planning, infrastructure, stronger institutions and investment.
She also called for patience while insisting that patience must be accompanied by measurable results.
“I am not asking for time to sit down. I am asking for time to work,” she said.
The MP said the development agenda should extend beyond electoral cycles and focus on the next generation.
“This is bigger than Joana Gyan Cudjoe. This is bigger than NDC or NPP. This is Amenfi Central,” she said.
She urged residents, traditional leaders, businesses, government institutions, development partners and the diaspora to work together towards a shared development vision.
Her proposed approach, she said, was not 20 years of waiting, but up to 20 years of planned building”, with immediate action and measurable milestones along the way.
By 1960news.com
