Kwabre East MP Secures Over GH¢2m Outside Common Fund For Constituency Projects

Kwabre East MP, Hon. Onyina Acheampong Akwasi Gyamfi, has disclosed that he has secured more than GH¢2 million outside his Common Fund to support development projects in the constituency, including the construction of skills training centres.

Speaking in an interview with Kofi Boakye on Nkwantannanso on Opemsuo Radio, Mr Gyamfi said his ability to lobby for resources beyond the Common Fund is among his key achievements since entering Parliament.

He explained that the limited resources available to MPs make it difficult for them to meet the numerous demands from their constituents, particularly because MPs are increasingly expected to undertake development projects.

According to him, MPs receive only five percent of the Common Fund, despite handling a significant portion of the challenges brought to them by constituents.

“The Assembly gets 80% of the Common Fund, while MPs get 5%. Yet, those of us who get the 5% deal with almost 80% of the problems people bring to us,” he said.

Mr Gyamfi also argued that MPs who do not have another source of income may struggle to adequately support their constituencies because much of their personal resources can end up being spent on political and constituency-related activities.

“If you are an MP and do not have any other job that brings you money every month, you cannot adequately support your constituency. The money that comes to you, you will release all of it into politics, but when people are outside, they think your money is plenty,” he stated.

Assessing his performance as a first-term MP, Mr Gyamfi said he was satisfied with his work so far, pointing to his contributions in Parliament and his committee responsibilities.

He currently serves on the Independent Constitutional Bodies Committee, the Budget Committee and the Human Rights Committee.

He said his parliamentary work had also earned him the support and mentorship of experienced politicians, including former Minister for Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and former Minority Leader Afenyo-Markin.

“Because of my performance, I have got mentors who come to me voluntarily. They tell me, ‘We see how you work, and we want to teach you more.’ Some of them are Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and Afenyo-Markin,” he said.

Mr Gyamfi said his focus during his first year in office was largely on human and people development, rather than infrastructure, due to the limited financial resources available to MPs.

He identified educational support as one of his major achievements, saying nearly 200 people in the constituency had benefited from his educational assistance in less than two years.

He also said more than 200 people had benefited from his entrepreneurship support programmes, with another batch of 110 beneficiaries expected to receive support.

Beyond the direct support to constituents, Mr Gyamfi said he had also worked to increase the visibility of Kwabre East in Parliament and attract resources to the constituency.

He described his biggest achievement as putting the constituency firmly on the parliamentary map.

“My biggest achievement so far is the recognition that there is a constituency called Kwabre East. I have put Kwabre East on the map of Parliament,” he said.

He said the more than GH¢2 million he has lobbied for outside the Common Fund would be used to establish skills training centres to provide practical opportunities for people in the constituency.

Mr Gyamfi also acknowledged challenges facing Kwabre East, including poor roads, markets, recreational parks and security, saying he was working to address the various concerns within the limits of available resources.

He said the growing expectation for MPs to provide infrastructure had expanded their role beyond their constitutional responsibilities of legislation, representation and advocacy.

“Our mandate is legislation, representation, advocacy and others, but now we have also become development agents because people expect us to construct roads and provide other infrastructure. We overpromise, but the resources that come to us are too little to deliver on those promises,” he said.