By Phalonzy
At the symbolic sod-cutting ceremony heralding the commencement of the 24-hour market in Agona Swedru, Presidential Staffer for the Central Region, Chief Mike Dery, delivered a succinct yet resonant charge that placed local empowerment at the heart of national development.
Addressing dignitaries and constituents in the Agona West Constituency, Chief Dery issued an unequivocal appeal to Member of Parliament Ernestina Ofori Dangbey: prioritize the recruitment of indigenous labor for the construction of the landmark project.
His exhortation was anchored in a doctrine of ownership and pride.
“When we conscript the hands and hearts of our own people to raise these walls, we do more than build a market — we build legacy,” he asserted. “Let every resident of Agona West walk through these gates and declare with conviction: ‘We built this. This 24-hour economy bears our fingerprints.’”
The intervention reframes infrastructure not merely as concrete and steel, but as a social contract — ensuring that the dividends of the government’s flagship 24-hour economy policy are felt first by the very communities it seeks to transform.
Chief Dery’s clarion call injects a potent reminder into Ghana’s development narrative: true progress is measured not only by projects inaugurated, but by people uplifted.
