A Sunyani-based mining engineer, Ernest Ayesu Snr., has joined the NDC’s parliamentary primaries in the Sunyani-West Constituency.

Mr. Ayesu, who is currently a general foreman at Newmont Ghana Gold Limited, made this known in an interview with MyJoyOnline.com on Friday, February 24.

According to the mining technician, his decision to join the parliamentary contest stems from his vision of making the Constituency a more prosperous community through the creation of employable opportunities.

These opportunities, he said when created will be made available to all indigenes, especially the youth in the Constituency.

Per his policy outline, the aspiring MP wants to “Reduce unemployment among the youth by developing and impacting them with employable skill sets; most importantly in the mining, construction and built environment fields”.

He also has plans of developing “a comprehensive list of job opportunities for young people”.

The Sunyani-West Constituency is currently a stronghold of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), with the current Minister for Labour and Employment Relations, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, serving as its Member of Parliament.

Since 1996, the New Patriotic Party has won the seat, despite attempts by the NDC to snatch it. The closest effort by the NDC was in the 2012 elections, when it managed to garner some 49.1% of the parliamentary votes.

However, Ernest Ayesu, a master’s degree holder in Business Administration from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) believes that he has what it takes to make the NDC triumph in Sunyani-West; despite the party’s unsuccesful records.

His commitment to this goal, he notes can be deduced from his past contributions to the party, including the furnishing of the party’s constituency office as well as the funding of election day activities for the NDC during the 2020 elections.

The mining engineer’s emergence adds to the number of other professionals who have so far expressed their desires to contest in the NDC primaries across various constituencies.

A landmark example is the former General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association who recently resigned his position to contest in the Lambussie primaries.

Meanwhile, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will hold its presidential and parliamentary primaries on Saturday, May 13, 2023, to elect a new flagbearer as well as its parliamentary candidates for the 2024 elections.

Per the schedule announced by the party on January 18, aspirants are expected to pick their nomination forms at the party’s headquarters at Adabraka or access them via the party’s official website.

Parliamentary aspirants picked their forms from Monday, 20th February to 24th February at a fee of GH¢5,000; and later submit them at a fee of GH¢40,000 between March 20 to March 22.

This will be followed by the vetting of aspirants from 27th March to 29th March, 2023.