The member of Parliament for South Tongu constituency in the Volta region, Kobena Mensah Woyome has paid glowing tribute to the memory of a former MP for the area Emmanuel Oscar Ameyedowo who has passed to the church triumphant.
The late Emmanuel Oscar Ameyedowo who was a founding member of The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the South Tongu Constituency, contested on the ticket of the party and won as the first Member of Parliament for the constituency in 1992, a period when the nation had transitioned to Multi-party democracy after several years of military rule.
Delivering the tribute in a statement on the floor of Parliament on Thursday February 9, 2023, Mr Kobena Woyome who is Ranking member of the Youth and Sports, Tourism, Culture and Chieftaincy Committees of parliament said the deceased who was former secretary to the Dabala Area Development Association and Agave Youth Association served his people well during his tenure as their representative in Parliament.
“Mr. Speaker, H. E. Emmanuel Oscar Ameyedowo served well during his tenure both in the constituency and in Parliament. He was the former secretary to the Dabala Area Development Association and Agave Youth Association. Some of the committees he served on in parliament include; Vice Chairman of Select Committee on Local Government & Rural Development; Member of Subsidiary Legislation Committee, Trade, Industry and Tourism; and Chairman of Committee on Foreign Affairs’’ he stated.
He described the late Ameyedowo as “affable, a problem solver, a unifier, selfless, committed, kind-hearted and soft-spoken’’, attributes Mr Woyome said he deceased passed on to the current generation of politicians.
According to Hon Mensah Woyome, the former MP who served only one term from January, 1993 to January, 1997 was diligent and made his presence felt through his work as the first chairman of the foreign affairs committee of parliament who was part of “the parliamentary delegations to; Republic of Korea, European Parliament (Brussels & Strasbourg), Investment Promotion forum & 50th Anniversary of UN (New York), International Institute of Democracy (Strasbourg), and National Assembly of Togo’’ even as he managed to acquire an office for the committee.
The late Emmanuel Oscar Ameyedowo is credited for initiating a number of developmental projects during his tenure as MP notably the Agordome water treatment plant.
Mr Woyome noted that the decease also co-edited “Proceedings of Seminar on Parliament and Foreign Policy-Making in Ghana” in 1995 and was also appointed by the then President of Ghana, the late Flt Lt. Jerry John Rawlings as an Ambassador to different countries.
“Mr. Speaker, after he served as Member of Parliament from 1993 to 1997, H. E. Emmanuel Oscar Ameyedowo was appointed by the then President of Ghana, the late Flt Lt. Jerry John Rawlings as an Ambassador of Ghana to the People’s Republic of China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Democratic Republic of Korea’’.
During a visit to the family of the deceased after his passing, former President John Mahama stated, the late H. E. Oscar Ameyedowo was instrumental in arranging his first meeting with current Chinese President who was then the vice President; and he was one of the leading men who assisted government in the construction of the Atuabo Gas Project.
The MP said the people of South Tongu will forever miss the deceased “Mr. Speaker, Life indeed is a journey which must come to an end someday. Today, the life of H. E. Emmanuel Oscar Ameyedowo who laboured through life as Management Executive and as a Politician has come to an end. Though gone from our sight, but never from our hearts because of his good deeds and the many lives he touched. The people of South Tongu will miss him, NDC will miss him, we will all miss him for the perfect gentleman that he was, an instrument of influence, hope and support to family,friends and loved ones’’.
The mortal remains of the deceased will be laid to rest on Saturday 11th February,2023.