The incumbent MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, is confident of retaining the seat in the December elections to continue her good work.
She stated that her performance over the last four years had significantly improved the living conditions of her constituents, and she is therefore sure of receiving massive endorsement from them come December 7.
The MP has initiated a scholarship scheme, which has benefited over 1,000 students in the constituency, as well as a project that has empowered women to start small-scale businesses and engage in trading activities.
Speaking with the Ghana News Agency Gender Desk at one of her political campaigns, the MP, who is also the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, expressed satisfaction with her performance so far and appealed to voters to retain her.
“I have fulfilled most of my campaign promises in 2020, and I’m proud of what I have done so far. My appeal to the electorate is to give me their support again to do more,” she said.
Madam Alhassan is one of the 40 women currently serving in the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic and one of the 29 female MPs across the country seeking re-election.
She is also the third female MP for the constituency, following Mrs. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, the Chief of Staff, who occupied the seat in 2004 and 2008, and Madam Rebecca Akweley Addotey of the NDC in 1996.
Upon the sudden death of her husband in 2019, the late Mr. Emmanuel Boakye-Agyarko, then MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Madam Alhassan stepped into the political spotlight to represent the NPP in the by-election and garnered 12,041 votes, representing 68.80% of the total valid votes cast, as compared to the NDC candidate, who polled 5,341 votes (30.52%).
She won the NPP parliamentary candidacy for the 2020 elections and went on to win the seat for the NPP in a keen contest, polling 39,851 (51.36%) votes to defeat her closest contender, Mr. John Dumelo of the NDC, who secured 37,478 votes (48.30%).
Madam Alhassan holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of Ghana Business School and a Bachelor of Administration degree from GIMPA. She ventured into the pharmaceutical industry long before coming into the political limelight.
At just 24, she founded Lymens Medical Supplies Limited, a wholesale pharmaceutical company that became one of the leading medical suppliers in the country. She also served as the vice-chairperson of the Pharmaceutical Importers and Wholesalers Association and as an executive of the Chamber of Commerce.
From 2005 to 2016, she also served as the President of the Accra Premier Lions Club, underscoring her commitment to service.
The MP’s dedication to her career has been recognized; she received a Ghana Pharm Award as ‘Woman of Excellence’ in 2017 and was named Personality of the Year in 2021, honoring her contributions to both the health sector and national development.
In Parliament, she has served on several committees, including Health, Mines and Energy, and Business, and currently serves on the board of the Minerals Commission of Ghana.
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