Asenso-Boakye files forms to contest NPP primary in Bantama
A Deputy Chief of Staff, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has filed his forms to contest the New Patriotic Party parliamentary primary in Bantama.
Mr. Asenso-Boakye will have his sights set on the incumbent MP for Bantama, Daniel Okyem Aboagye, as the primary on April 25 beckons.
In a statement, he noted his appointment as Deputy Chief of Staff as a marker of his competencies.
“In appointing me as deputy chief of staff, I believe His Excellency the President has affirmed me as a person of tact, good judgment and discretion. This position, with its heavy responsibilities, has enhanced my capacity and prepared me adequately to serve the people of Bantama, both as a legislator and as an agent of development,” he explained.
His time at the Presidency was not without controversy as he was accused of corruption and abuse of power.
In September 2017, musician Kwame Asare Obeng, aka A-Plus, alleged that Asenso-Boakye and fellow deputy chief of staff Abu Jinapor putting pressure on then-CEO of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Felix Anyah, to give back an on-site revenue-collection contract at the hospital to uniBank after the same contract had been terminated.
But after a petition and subsequent allegations, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice exonerated the two presidential staffers of the corruption allegations made against them.
Mr. Asenso-Boakye also spoke highly of the role Bantama had played in his own development
“Bantama has been very kind to me, right from birth. It has nurtured me into becoming a person of value by instilling in me, a sense of purpose and identity.
About Francis Asenso-Boakye
Francis Asenso-Boakye holds a B.Sc. degree in Development Planning from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
He has a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration degree from the Michigan State University, and a Certificate in Public Sector Management from Tulane University, Louisiana, USA.
He is a development planning, project management, and policy specialist, with over 15 years of wide-ranging professional experience in his field, and has worked at the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, Global Media Alliance, Delta Acquisitions, USA, and the Ghana Free Zones Board, amongst others.
Francis Asenso-Boakye had been Political Assistant to the Nana Akufo-Addo since 2008 before being appointed deputy chief of staff.
Find below his full statement
Francis Asenso-Boakye writes:
I wish to announce that I’ve filed papers, this morning, to contest the NPP Parliamentary primary for Bantama Constituency.
It is a privilege to have yet another opportunity to be part of this important undertaking. This will be the third time that I submit myself to be considered by the dutiful delegates of the constituency. I do so with a humble heart and an unwavering conviction that there’s nothing more fulfilling than the honour to represent and serve your people. I’m hopeful that this time around, I would have sufficiently earned their trust and confidence to merit an endorsement.
Bantama has been very kind to me, right from birth. It has nurtured me into becoming a person of value by instilling in me, a sense of purpose and identity. When by good fortune I got a Rotary scholarship to study in America, I took with me the virtues of kindness, compassion and communal spirit that permeates life in Bantama. I know of no other home than Bantama.
As a young boy, I immersed myself in the work of the party, firstly as a footsoldier in the constituency, then as a student activist and later the founding President of of the Tertiary Institutions Confederacy of the NPP (TESCON). Together with colleagues like John Krugu, Sefa Dwamena and Steve Amoah, we led a massive drive to mobilize over 2000 tertiary students in the Ashanti region who served as polling agents in the three Northern regions during the 2000 elections. A feat unparalleled in the history of student mobilization. I’m proud to see how TESCON has become; a vibrant and dynamic students arm of our party . Aside TESCON, I also had the honour to serve as a youth organizer for the then North America branch of the party.
I’m convinced that it was my dedication to duty and commitment to the party that endeared me to the then-presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to have me serve him as his political assistant.
In appointing me as deputy chief of staff, I believe His Excellency the President has affirmed me as a person of tact, good judgment and discretion. This position, with its heavy responsibilities, has enhanced my capacity and prepared me adequately to serve the people of Bantama, both as a legislator and as an agent of development. I hope to discharge my duties diligently if and when given the nod.
In this regard, I intend to continue the dialogue I started some few years ago with party functionaries and voters in the constituency about priority challenges that we can collectively tackle. With inspiring and purposeful leadership, Bantama will shine!
Thank you, once more, for your continued support.
God bless Bantama
God bless NPP
God bless Ghana