An indigene of Bekwai in the Ashanti Region, Ralph Poku-Adusei, has declared his intention to contest the parliamentary seat of that constituency on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Ralph Poku-Adusei, a lawyer and managing partner at Trent Legal Amansie Chambers, is looking to take over from the incumbent for the NPP, Joseph Osei-Owusu, who has announced that he would not return to Parliament after serving four terms since 2008.
Having lived all his formative years in the Bekwai Constituency, Ralph Poku-Adusei believes it is his turn to represent the constituency in the country in Parliament and help transform the Bekwai municipality.
VISION
His vision for Amansie is to create a municipality free from poverty where everyone has access to the basic needs of life, chances for advancement, and the capacity to live honourably.
He has espoused this in seven key thematic areas, which include job creation, poverty alleviation and livelihood improvement, agriculture (commercial and mechanised), infrastructure development, youth employment, education, and pensions.
Lawyer Poku-Adusei proposes to prioritise education by improving access to high-quality education for all children in the Bekwai Municipality.
He intends to do that by lobbying through the government and the private sector to improve infrastructure, provide scholarships, and, on the other hand, secure recruitment slots for constituents.
He also proposes sustainable livelihoods by creating an enabling environment and providing resources for entrepreneurship, skill development, and job creation.
To enable people and families to escape poverty, he plans to set up vocational training facilities, assist small local enterprises, and allow access to microfinance programs, which he has already started.
Lawyer Ralph also appreciates the value of a strong social welfare system and easily available healthcare, and thus plans to build Community Health and Planning Services (CHPS) compounds and other healthcare interventions.
“To guarantee the health of our community, we will work in conjunction with pertinent stakeholders to improve social protection programs, build out healthcare infrastructure, and advocate for preventative healthcare practices,” he said.
To enhance the quality of life for residents of the Bekwai Municipality, he proposes to concentrate on infrastructure development. This involves enhancing transportation infrastructure, maintaining a steady supply of water and energy, providing toilet facilities, and funding sustainable housing programs.
He further proposes to drive both local and foreign investors to the constituency to put up recreational centres, shopping malls, manufacturing companies, and tertiary institutions to boost economic activities and subsequently address the issue of youth unemployment in the constituency.
He has observed that a lot of people in the constituency retire from active service with or without any form of pension. For those that do, it’s woefully inadequate.
He proposes to intensify pension education and encourage his constituents to contribute either formally or informally to Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT). Further, he wants to set up a cooperative society for the people to benefit from.
POLITICAL INTERVENTIONS
The interventions of Ralph Poku-Adusei in the Bekwai Constituency have been both in support of the NPP and the people of the municipality.
Among the interventions for the party are a donation of GH¢100,000.00 and 1,000 bags of rice to NPP Bekwai delegates for the 2023 Easter celebrations, and the provision of financial support for the elderly who have served the party in Bekwai but are inactive due to old age and poor health.
Lawyer Ralph has also provided financial support to Bekwai Constituency executives to embark on a “Thank You Tour” after the party’s internal primaries in 2022. In the same year, he provided financial support to Muslim polling station executives in the Bekwai Constituency during Eid Al-Adha to support their celebrations.
Other support by Poku-Adusei includes financial assistance to Bekwai Constituency delegates at the National Delegate Conference held at Koforidua, the presentation of GH¢205,200.00 to the Bekwai Constituency executives to be shared with Electoral Area Coordinators and Polling Station Executives as support for Christmas celebrations, and GH¢30,000 to NPP Bekwai Constituency towards the building of the constituency office, among others.
MUNICIPAL SUPPORT
At the Bekwai municipality level, Lawyer Ralph, on his 41st birthday in 2023, distributed 5,000 improved clean cooking stoves to support the clean cooking agenda of the government and sponsored the “New Year Street Party” in the Bekwai Constituency this year.
He also supported the Bekwai annual sports competition with GH¢12,000 and presented 10 football jerseys, 20 footballs, and a cash of GH¢500 each to 15 communities participating in the community gala.
Other direct support of Lawyer Ralph to the people of Bekwai is GH¢2,000.00 to the Disable Federation in Bekwai in 2022 and the presentation of 2 motorbikes to the Bekwai District Police Command to promote visibility in the district in 2022.
He donated GH¢50,000 to support Kokofu community centre, and Okogyeasuo JHS also provided GH¢8,000.00 to repair the Bekwai Constituency ambulance (1 constituency ambulance), which was parked for 5 months due to a fault, and renovated an abandoned structure to provide offices and restrooms for the National Ambulance Service in Bekwai Municipality.
He created job opportunities for over 300 energetic youth in Bekwai Municipality through the ongoing Amansie Youth Project.
He is a member of the Ghana Bar, the Bar of England and Wales, and the International Bar Associations.
