Abantu - Women in Local Governance

Women in Local Governance
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Mercy Nketia Akromah, Abossey Okai Electoral Area

Mercy Nketia Akromah

Mercy has lived in Abossey Okai for about 25 years. She is a beautician by profession. She manages a manufacturing company which produces herbal products for hair and skin. She contested the 2002 district assembly elections but lost by a slim margin. This time, she is in the race with three men but believes that she will win. Mercy has been a unit committee member for twelve years serving as Secretary. Realising her potential and commitment to the development of the community, the members of the unit committee as well as the youth and leaders in the community urged her to stand.

According to Mercy, her community has only one public school which has very poor facilities. She hopes that through her representation, the assembly will consider building more schools for the community. The access roads in her community are all in bad shape and the drains are all choked. There are several big gutters in her electoral area and these need dredging. The environment is also affected by severe erosion. Also there are no street lights in the community and they have no library. She thinks that a lot more attention should be paid to the Abossey Okai area since a lot of revenue is generated from here. She described her area as the hub for vehicle parts dealers in Ghana and a lot of commercial activity goes on. Mercy is convinced that she will win this year’s district assembly elections to become the assembly woman for the Abossey Okai electoral area.