Don Emmanuel Agbanyo, a.k.a NEXT MP, a Ketu North National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate hopeful, Monday filed his nomination and restated his ambition to create markets and financial systems towards transforming Ketu North’s rural economy if elected the Party’s Candidate and later Member of Parliament for the area.

He said the creation of a viable market and financial systems, which would link the production and marketing of farm produce was the way to create jobs and curb youth unemployment in the Municipality noted for agricultural production.

Emmanuel Agbanyo said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.

This will be his third time contesting the primaries.

He said it was unfortunate that though the Municipality was noted widely in the West African sub-region for the production and marketing of exclusive quality palm oil, gari and rice, the people remained poor and said his aim was to change the narrative and open up the Municipality for rapid socio-economic growth.

Emmanuel Agbanyo said it was high time Weta, Penyi, Afife and Dzodze, the capital of Ketu North, became the commercial hub of the Volta Region leveraging the passage of the ECOWAS International Highway through it, linking Ghana and neighbouring Republic of Togo, and said that was going to be one of his priorities – taking advantages under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to make the area a market centre.

He is a Real Estate Developer, sand aid he had engaged some investors who were ready to invest in irrigation and to support agro-processing industries taking advantage of the Ohawu Agriculture College in the Municipality.

He said once the Municipality was able to produce enough to feed itself and market through AfCFTA and local markets in Ghana, the rural economy would expand with opportunities for the service sectors-health and education.

Emmanuel Agbanyo said his policy of “Education First” was to encourage and empower all, especially girls to be in school and said he would organise regular competitions for pupils and students from basic to tertiary level towards making Ketu North an education tourism Centre.

He said he would initiate various training schemes for traders, artisans and people in the transport business to make their enterprises self-sustaining, towards “building the Ketu North we want”.

He said 2024 offered a new dawn for Ketu North, saying he was ready to give his all to transform the Municipality with opportunities for the young, medieval, and the old and urged the delegates to vote for him.

Ten persons have picked forms to contest the NDC Ketu North Constituency primaries.

They are Don Emmanuel Agbanyo, Afetsi Awoonor, Gabriel Kwamigah, and Wisdom Nyamuame.

The rest are: Dr Donald Senanu Agumenu, Mr Prosper Ledi, Leonard Nyakpo,Edem Agbana, Francis Seglah and John Adanu.

Dr James Avedzi, the current MP, who is also the Chairman of the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, is not contesting.