The Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Western Region has organised a debate for Parliamentary Candidates (PC) in the Kwesimintsim Constituency to outline their development plans for the area.

It provided a platform for the candidates to speak on development issues of concern in the constituency while outlining their plans to tackle them if given the nod as Member of Parliament (MP).

Mr. Philip Fiifi Buckman, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) PC, and Mr. Joseph Mensah, an Independent Candidate, participated in the debate, while Dr. Prince Hamid Armah, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) PC and incumbent MP for the area, failed to show up.

They debated issues concerning education, employment, health, roads and infrastructure, and the economy.

Mr. Buckman promised to expand the existing educational infrastructure at all levels to provide a conducive teaching and learning environment needed to improve academic performance in the constituency.

Mr. Mensah, on the other hand, said he would lobby the government to ensure that every school had adequate teaching and learning materials to enhance the standard of education in the area.

On employment, the NDC PC said he would promote local content where 70 percent of the labour force for all government projects would come from the constituency.

The Independent Candidate also promised to roll out interventions that would foster the growth of the informal sector to create more job opportunities for the youth.

For health, Mr. Buckman said he would lobby for the establishment of a new hospital for the Kwesimintsim Constituency, improve CHPS compounds in the area, and equip health centres with the needed resources to boost healthcare service delivery in the area.

Mr. Mensah pledged to work with authorities to improve the constituents’ access to quality healthcare services to enhance their well-being.

They spoke on other development issues peculiar to the people and pledged to solve them if voted to represent them in Parliament.

Mrs. Kathleen Addy, the Chairperson for the NCCE, said during the event that the session was to offer the citizenry the opportunity to hear and weigh the visions and programs of the various candidates so they could make informed choices on the day of elections.

She said: “The NCCE every year undertakes this exercise where we bring together parliamentary candidates who are vying to be the true representatives of the people in the constituency for the people to scrutinise their vision and programs that will develop their areas.”

Mr. Justice Yaw Ennin, the Western Regional Director of NCCE, said the debate formed part of the NCCE’s mandate to promote democratic governance in the country.

He said it was also to enable the people to scrutinise the policies of the candidates so they could vote based on that.

The event was attended by some traditional and religious leaders in Kwesimintsim, political party supporters, and security service personnel, among others.