As the days of the President’s appointment keep unfolding, it is expedient that the personality of potential appointees be unravelled for consideration.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Sefwi Wiawso Constituency, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, having been a long-standing member and stalwart of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is worth being honoured as a Cabinet Minister in this second term of H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo’s tenure.
Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, a native of Sefwi Wiawso holds an MBCBH from the University Of Ghana Medical School, a Master of Public Health from Tulane University, New Orleans, U.S.A and a Fellow of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Until his appointment as the Western Regional Minister by H. E. Nana Akufo-Addo in January 2017, he had selflessly, diligently and effectively served this country in varying capacities.
From 1982 to 1994, Dr. Afriyie served at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and Effia Nkwanta Hospital, and later became the Health Service Director at the Bibiani Government Hospital. He was also the Managing Director of Greenshield Hospital in Sefwi Wiawso from 2005 to 2014.
While he served as the Managing Director of Afriyie Farms from 1990 to 2016, he was appointed by the former President, H. E. John Agyekum Kuffuor as Minister of Lands, Forestry, and Mines and later served as Minister of Health from 2001 to 2005.
As Health Minister, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie introduced and implemented the well-known National Health Insurance Scheme, the National Post–Graduate Training programme of Doctors and established the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons for a Postgraduate training of Doctors in Ghana; he additionally introduced the National Ambulance System in 2004 to facilitate health delivery in the country.
Having served distinctly in varying capacities, Dr. Afriyie, during the period of President Kufuor’s government, served as a member of Cabinet Sub-committee on Cocoa Affairs (2001-2005); Member of National Development Planning Committee (2001-2004); Member of National AIDS Commission; and Chairman of Board of Directors of the Electricity Company of Ghana.
As part of his political achievements, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie served as the Western Regional 1st Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party from 1996 to 1997. With the experiences he gathered, he became the party’s 2nd National Vice Chairman from 1998 to 2000.
Dr. Kwaku Afriyie popularly known as the “Western Pillar” also served as a member of the National Executive Committee of the New Patriotic Party from 1998 to 2004 and from 1998 to date, he has been a Member of the National Council of the New Patriotic Party. Ahead of the 2000 general elections, the Western Pillar, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie was also a staunch member of the NPP National Campaign Team from 1998 to 2000.
Prior to becoming the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Sefwi Wiawso Constituency, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie had consistently contested the seat from the period of 2004 to 2012 but to no avail. In 2016, he finally won the seat on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the first time and brought the difference between candidate Nana Addo and John Mahama from negative 13,177 to negative 238.
Dr Afriyie promised HE Nana Addo that he is going to win 2020 Presidential election for the first time in Sefwi Wiawso since 1992 for the NPP and truly he delivered by obtaining 32,232 as against John Mahama 30,533 with the difference of 1,699.
In H. E. Addo Dankwa’s first tenure, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie served as a member of the Parliamentary Privileges Committee and member of the Health Committee.
Resulting from his hard work, enormous contributions and unmatched promise delivery records, over five hundred (500) delegates of the New Patriotic Party in his constituency appealed for him to run unopposed in the parliamentary primaries.
True to the appeal, the good people of the Sefwi Wiawso constituency convincingly re-endorsed the candidature of Dr. Kwaku Afriyie for the second time in the 2020 general elections where he won thirty-one thousand seven hundred and thirty-six (31,736) votes, representing 54.29% of the total valid votes cast.
As an active Member of Parliament, Dr. Afriyie’s voice has consistently been heard on very sensitive issues including illegal mining, International Childhood Cancer Day, Global Trends in Agricultural Insurance Indices and the recent novel Corona-Virus pandemic.
In the heat of the pandemic, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie was appointed to serve on the COVID-19 management board that advises the President on managing the pandemic. Dr Afriyie provided support for a countless number of individuals both within and outside of his constituency, as well as equipping some health facilities to combat the disease.
Having chalked such tremendous success and made so much input in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over decades, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie is one of the finest Members of Parliament who is worth serving as a Cabinet Minister.
By: Maclean Desmond, NPP Regional Communication Team Member, Desmaclean22@gmail.com
