Former Minister of Defence and ex-Member of Parliament for Navrongo Central, Mr Mark Owen Woyongo, has passed away at the age of 74, as confirmed by the Woyongo Family head, Mr Awini Zinge, in a statement on Thursday, January 18.

Mr. Woyongo, who had been in poor health for some time, breathed his last on Wednesday, January 17, at the Bank of Ghana Hospital in Accra.

Mr Woyongo served as a Member of Parliament for Navrongo Central from 2012 to 2016, and he formally announced his retirement from politics in December 2016, expressing his decision not to pursue any political positions further.

Appointed as the Upper East Regional Minister by the late President John Evans Atta Mills in 2009, Mr Woyongo continued under former President John Dramani Mahama after President Mills' demise.

In 2013, President Mahama nominated him for the position of Minister of Defence, and in 2014, he was again nominated for the role of Interior Minister.