Appointments Committee, Business Committee, Finance Committee, Standing Orders Committee, Defence and Interior Committee, Committee of Selection
‘’‘Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin’’’ (born 27 May 1978) is the Member of Parliament for the Effutu constituency, Central Region, Ghana. He serves on several committees, including the Committee on Defence and Interior.[1]
He was previously the Deputy Majority Leader in the Parliament of Ghana until February 2024, when he was promoted to Majority Leader as part of a reshuffle by President Nana Akufo-Addo and the leadership of the New Patriotic Party.[2]
Early life and education
He was born on 27 May 1978 and hails from Winneba in the Central Region of Ghana.[3] He studied law at the University of Buckingham, (LLB/MGT, 2003–2006), Ghana School of Law where he received a Barrister at Law certification (2007–2009) and received an M.A in international politics and security studies at the University of Bradford (2009–2010).[4]
Career
Between the years 1999 and 2003, the Effutu legislator worked as a Principal Postal Officer at the Ghana Post Company Limited. Also, he worked at the Excel Courier Ghana Limited[5] as the Director between 2004 and 2011 and as an Associate at Dehenya Chambers from 2010 to 2016.[6]
Politics
In 2012, on the ticket of the NPP, Afenyo-Markin contested the NDC parliamentary candidate, Mike Allen Hammah and won.[7]
He became the chairman of Ghana Water Company Ltd (GWCL) in 2017.[8][9] He was alleged to have been involved in the near collapse of GWCL and other financial improprieties,[10][11] over which he launched a defamation lawsuit in the court.[12] He has been on the Committee of Defense, Interior and Finance Committees in Ghana's Parliament[6]
On 11 March 2024, during a debate on President Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo-Addo's state of the nation address in parliament, he made a comment with regards to the running mate of former president John Mahama; Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang which generated immediate controversy in parliament.[14][15] The house was suspended for an hour and he later retracted the statement.[16]
NPP Majority Leader
Afenyo-Markin, the Member of Parliament for Effutu, assumed the role of Majority Leader as of Friday, February 23, according to the confirmation of the New Patriotic Party's National Council. This shift in the leadership of the Majority Front Bench is in line with the Speaker's recent decision regarding the selection process and comes after a recent interpretation of parliamentary procedure.
At a meeting chaired by the General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Kodua Frimpong on Friday, 23 February 2024 confirmed that the changed in leadership in Parliament of Ghana has the full support of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).[17][18]
Projects/Initiatives
One Teacher, One Laptop
The One Teacher, One Laptop initiative was launched on 13 October 2018, during the donation of 100 laptops to teachers within the Effutuman at the Ebenezer Methodist Church in Winneba.[19][20]
In January 2021, 40 newly posted teachers received laptops to enhance teaching and learning.[21][22] Through this initiative about 1000 laptops have been donated to teachers of both private and public schools in the constituency.[23][24][25]
The Effutu Dream
The Effutu Dream was initiated in February 2020 to promote the Effutuman culture which will create a sense of belonging among the youth in its constituency. This also focused on capacity building of its constituents. The dream aimed at branding Effutu Constituency to attract tourists and investors.[26]
This initiative was birthed at a conference under a theme "Actualizing the Effutu Dream; the role of Effutu youth".[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]
14 Libraries Project
As part of delivering quality education in the constituency, 14 libraries have been constructed to enable a reading culture among young people. A total of 14 libraries have been constructed under this initiative.[35]
Royal Palm Tree Project
On 7 March 2020, Afenyo-Markin planted Royal Palm trees in the Winneba capital.[36][37]
