Dr Aboagye Da-Costa, the Director of Health Promotion at the Ghana Health Service, who is aspiring to become the next New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for the vacant Kumawu seat, appears to be a leading candidate among the other contenders who are vying to become the next Parliamentary candidate for Kumawu on the ticket of the ruling party.
This follows reports gathered after Lawyer Edward Osei pulled out of the parliamentary race to throw his support for Dr Da-costa.
So far the Sekyere Kumawu Constituency Parliamentary primaries committee of NPP has cleared six (6) out of eight (8) aspiring candidates to contest the race on Sunday 23rd April 2023.
The aspirants are; Dr Da-Costa Aboagye, Mr E.rnest Yaw Anim, Madam Ama Serwaa, Mr Kwame Appiah-Kubi, Yaw Baah former Kumawu MP unseated by the late MP, and Osei Hweree Kwame Bempah.
The aspirant, who appears to be gaining ground daily, said he is the right man for the job.
According to the aspirant, a native of Kumawu, he is convinced of winning the upcoming by-election to lead as the MP for the area.
The candidate, who has been placed in the 3rd position on the ballot paper, hails from Bodomasi, the second largest electoral area in the Kumawu constituency, and is halfway through winning the election.
“Just recently after I declared my intention to contest the vacant seat, almost, everybody in the constituency is calling and asking me to go all out as I have their full support; they are the ones demanding I contest,” he said after balloting.
According to him, “And if you analyze the dynamics, it is encouraging because just last weekend when I visited the constituency the residents greeted me massively, everyone just wanted to see me – they can attest to my outstanding job done during the coronavirus era in the country.”
He indicated that his youthful exuberance coupled with the vast experience gathered in the health sector, and the humanitarian field among others at both local and the international front, make him fit to lead the NPP when given the nod.
“I’m known everywhere in this country whenever my name is mentioned, so I can help the constituency and that is exactly what they [constituents] want. Looking at my youthful exuberance, they need someone to learn from, they need someone who will guide them because at most times they lack direction,” Dr Da-Costa added.
He was hopeful the love shown him by the people in the leadup to the by-election would translate into votes to enable him to represent the constituency in Parliament and serve them diligently.
Dr Da-Costa, in 2021 was honored by the chief of Kumawu with a ‘Golden Citizen Award’ for his philanthropic and humanitarian work.
The award seeks to recognise his numerous contributions towards the Socio-Economic Development of Kumawu-Bodomase and its environs.
The by-election has been necessitated following the demise of the sitting MP, Philip Atta Basoah, who died on March 27, 2023, at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Parliament, before adjourning sittings for the Easter holidays, through the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, on April 3, declared the Kumawu seat vacant and directed the Electoral Commission to commence processes for a by-election.
Background
The aspirant is a national figure in Risk Communication and Community Engagement response to COVID-19. He led Ghana’s national risk communication efforts during the COVID pandemic and created the National Risk Communication and Misinformation Taskforce for COVID-19.
He is currently the President of the ECOWAS risk communication and community engagement network with a responsibility to facilitate experience sharing, advocacy, learning, and promotion of better health through building stronger risk communication systems in the 15 ECOWAS member states.
He is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy of England and Wales, an international consultant, an external examiner for both the University of Salford and the London Metropolitan University, and a reviewer for the Global Health Promotion Journal.
In 2021, he was nominated to be a member of the Partnership for Evidence-based Response to COVID-19, a consortium made up of organisations such as the World Economic Forum, the African Union, Resolve to Save Lives, the World Health Organization, and private sector actors. He was later designated by the consortium to present research evidence on human impact, public health, and social measures in Africa.
In 2022, the United States Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a new, five-year $29 million partnership with Dr Aboagye’s division of the Ghana Health Service to support the widespread adoption of life-saving health behaviors across Ghana. Under the leadership of the medical guru, the project continues to produce many successes including a launch of a National Health Promotion Strategy for Ghana.
He has received many prestigious awards and citations including the MTN Young Professionals Role Model in Health, Gold Category, in 2020, and the Golden Citizen Award in 2021, conferred on him by the Traditional Authority of Kumawu-Bodomase for his humanitarian work.