They are women who have resolved to serve their country by becoming law-makers in Parliament and we want you, our dear readers, to become familiar with all of them through weekly features.
We hope the information we put out about them would, in some way, help voters make up their minds about the people they want to represent them in Parliament.
Miss Francisca Oteng Mensah
NPP parliamentary candidate, Kwabre East Constituency, Ashanti Region
She first shot into the limelight when she won the primaries in the Kwabre East Constituency to contest the parliamentary election on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The news about her election went viral, spreading like wild fire.
She instantly became a household name mainly because she is barely 23 years and new on the political landscape.
It still baffles many pundits how a relatively unknown ‘small girl’, as they put it, could beat a veteran politician like Mr Kofi Frimpong, the incumbent Member of Parliament, to the seat.
She was the only female among the four candidates who contested the primary and arguably the only political novice. That notwithstanding, she came top, beating all the men, including the incumbent, who came third.
Miss Francisca Oteng Mensah is a third year law student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, and come November 7, this year, she will do her best to retain the seat for the NPP.
To her, politics is a platform that would enable her to accomplish her aspirations to help bring development to the people of Kwabre.
Of particular interest to her is the level of sanitation in the area, particularly in public schools.
She said many of the public schools lacked places of convenience, a situation which had contributed to delinquency and absenteeism.
The lack of places of convenience, according to her, affect girl education.
“Mostly, the girls end up staying out of school during their menstrual cycle as it is a bit challenging for them to change themselves regularly so that they don’t soil themselves.”
She believes that with political power, she will be in a better position to lobby companies and the government to bring the needed development and infrastructure to the people.
“As an individual, there is very little you can do. But with political power, it is easier to look for sponsorship and funding for some of these projects,” she explained.
She said the constituency had lots of prospects that could be harnessed for national development.
She cited the Adinkra Village at Ntonso, the wood carving village at Ahwiaa, which could earn the country lots of foreign exchange and also create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth, with the right investment.
Touching on her chances in the main election, Ms Oteng Mensah who might be the youngest MP in the seventh parliament of the Fourth Republic, said she was on the ground working tirelessly to ensure that she retained the seat for the party.
“Though the seat is a traditionally NPP seat, we are not leaving anything to chance and not considering it as a done deal,” she said, adding that aside retaining the seat, there was the need to increase the votes of the presidential candidate as well.
Miss Oteng Mensah is the first child of businessman, Dr Oteng Mensah, owner of Angel Group of Companies.
Ms Sabina Appiah Kubi
NDC parliamentary candidate, Assin South Constituency, Central Region
She is committed to changing the lives of the people in Assin South for the better.
She was the former District Chief Executive (DCE) for Assin South during whose tenure of office the district saw many development projects.
In the last elections, she stood on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and lost to Prof Dominic Fobih of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Ms Sabina Appiah Kubi says it was obvious that the people wanted a new and more result oriented Member of Parliament who can win the seat this time round.
“I am concerned about the well-being of the people and I believe that is what representing the people is about. A good Member of Parliament (MP) is the one who has her people’s development and as a DCE I proved I had my people’s development needs at heart,” she stated.
Ms Appiah-Kubi said education of the youth would be her priority as MP.
“Without education the people’s development is slowed. I will also help ensure that basic amenities such as water and electricity get to as many of the Assin people as possible.”
She said her sweet personality is her strength.
Parliament is one sure way I can help my people and come 2017 I hope to be there.
Dr Hannah Louisa Bisiw
NDC parliamentary candidate, Tano South Constituency, Brong Ahafo
She is popularly referred to as “Abaawa Hannah,” a name her constituents attribute to her service and dedication to ensuring that her constituency is well developed.
Although elected on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), she says that the work of a Member of Parliament (MP) exceeds partisan politics so she ensures that all projects are distributed equally among all her constituents irrespective of their political affiliations.
Speaking to The Mirror, Dr Hannah Louisa Bisiw said winning the Tano South seat which had been occupied by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) since 1992, indicated that the electorate had become more discerning and were now voting for development rather than on political lines.
For this reason, her projects are not spearheaded by people affiliated to party A or B but a team that examines the needs of a particular community and advises on what should be done.
Dr Bisiw, who is the current Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of Livestock, says allowing an independent team lead projects prevents biases and allows all constituents have a fair share of the development.
She says although she spends most of her time in Accra because of her ministerial duties and parliamentary sittings, she makes sure she is at the constituency every weekend to get an update of the various projects.
Asked if she was certain of retaining the seat in November, she said she believed the people would vote based on what they saw in the constituencies.
“I am yet to complete my first term in office but the difference is clear, the projects are visible and so the people will vote based on what they see. At the moment, we have dug over 65 boreholes in the constituency to provide the people with access to potable water and also working on an additional 18.”
“About a month ago, we cut the sod for construction works to begin on a 26-kilometre Techiman-Derma-Asuoso road and we are also working very hard to complete a GH¢200,000.00 market project at Techimantia,” Dr Bisiw said.
The Cuban-trained veterinary doctor says these are just a few of the projects in the constituency.
Asked how she is able to juggle her ministerial duties, parliament and her duties as a mother and a wife, she said what had kept her going was her ability to plan ahead of time.
“Back in Cuba, we were trained to plan three months ahead of time, so I shop for my family and make sure we have almost everything we would need at home as this saves me a lot of time moving from shop to shop weekly. I also make sure that I spend quality time with my kids when I get home, “ she said.
Mrs Rachel Nana Adwoa Appoh
NDC parliamentary candidate, Gomoa Central Constituency, Central Region
To her, one of the qualities a woman entering politics should possess is the ability to ignore unsavoury comments and other remarks that are intended to discourage or even lead her to quit politics.
She says she believes many women are reluctant to enter the male-dominated field because of such issues but that is what even stirs her spirit up to work harder and achieve greater heights.
“The truth is, you cannot please everyone, whether your party is in opposition or in power, you are bound to have some challenges even with people who belong to your political divide. The ideal thing to do is to have a vision and build a team that is ready to support you in achieving that vision.”
To Mrs Rachel Appoh, the current Member of Parliament (MP) for Gomoa Central, who is seeking re-election, it is also very important to maintain good relations with the constituents as one’s success as an MP depends on them.
“You can have a very good vision, you could be intelligent or even have the resources but if you are unable to touch base with your constituents, you will always fail because they are the ones who decide who represents them,” she explained.
Mrs Appoh says after winning the seat in 2012, some traditional leaders in her constituency advised her to keep herself active and relevant in the house and so in her first two years in parliament she made a conscious effort to be heard through contributing to discussions and actively participating in all activities.
She said although it might seem irrelevant, the constituents always loved to see their MP on the move and contributing to national development.
Aside from her contributions in parliament, she has also worked hard in ensuring that her constituents benefit from developmental projects.
Notable among them is the construction of boreholes, schools and the distribution of farm equipment to farmers in the constituency during the farming season.
The former Deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection added that she also focuses on the aged, children and people living with disabilities and so every year she organises special events for these people where she is able to interact with them and provide some of their needs.
Mrs Appoh picks inspiration from her parents who were actively involved in politics.
“My father was a strong member of the New Patriotic Party and my mother, a member of the 31st December Women’s Movement. So since childhood. I understood what it meant to be involved in politics and how to live together peacefully even with people who have different political affiliations,” she concluded.
