The Fanteakwa Branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has expressed confidence in the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, saying he is an asset to the area.

The party maintained that, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo is an achiever and had left behind large numbers of monumental development projects in Fanteakwa and the Eastern Region for which he would always be remembered.

This was contained in a statement issued by the party at Begoro on Friday and signed by Mr Foster Owusu, Constituency Secretary, and copied to the GNA in Koforidua.

The statement was reacting to an allegation made by the Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, at the launch of the NPP campaign at Begoro last Friday.

Nana Akufo Addo was alleged to have said at the function that Mr Ofosu-Ampofo had nothing to show at Fanteakwa and therefore ran away to contest for a parliamentary seat in Tema.

The statement said Mr Ofosu-Ampofo personally lobbied for many projects for the people in Fanteakwa when he was the District Chief Executive for the area from 1993 to 1997 and a Member of Parliament (MP) for the area from 1997 to 2005.

“The area also saw massive development when Mr Ofosu-Ampofo, was Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, and later a Minister for the Region, and even now as the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development”.

The statement said one could not talk about the development of the district without mentioning the name of Mr Ofosu-Ampofo for his contribution towards the development of Fanteakwa.

It said a few of the projects that Mr Ofosu-Ampofo played a major role to have them constructed in the area include the construction of a district administration block for the district and bungalows for the senior officers of the assembly, the extension of electricity from four communities to over 20 communities in the district, the relocation of Begoro Presbyterian School to its present area, and the construction of many school blocks and boreholes in many communities”.

The statement said greater part of the bitumen surfaced roads in Begoro was done during the administration of Mr Ofosu-Ampofo and added that it was through his intervention that Begoro benefitted from the construction of ultra modern hospital.

“When Mr Ofosu-Ampofo served as the Eastern Regional Minister from 2009 to 2011, he ensured that all the Senior High Schools (SHS) in the district including Begoro Presbyterian SHS, Osino SHS and New Nsutam SHS benefitted from various dormitory and classroom blocks.

The statement said Mr Ofosu-Ampofo was instrumental in soliciting for funds from some foreign countries for the construction of bitumen surfaced roads from Begoro to Ahumahumaso and at Begoro Township.

“Apart from the Fanteakwa District, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo helped many communities and districts in the Eastern Region to get a lot of developments projects including the Abuakwa South Constituency where Nana Akufo-Addo, was an MP for 12 years”.

The statement challenged Nana Akufo-Addo to publish projects that he personally brought to his constituency and the Eastern Region during the 12 years that he was an MP and the eight years that he was a senior member of President Agyekum Kufuor’s government.