Bernard Baidoo has pledged to prioritize lawful mining and revive the struggling Ghana Consolidated Diamonds (GCD) operations following his victory in the Akwatia by-election.
“We’ve always said that you see Akwatia’s name has always been with regard to mining, you can’t take away the mining. We only have to do it lawfully. That’s what we’re going to work on,” Baidoo told jubilant supporters after the declaration of results.
Speaking from the GCD property, Baidoo highlighted recent improvements in the area, noting how the facility had once been abandoned.
“Where we are now is a GCD property just before John Mahama came to power; the place was in darkness, if you would recall.
“We did the 2024 collation here, and we had to put on some solar panels and all the lamps. Today, it wasn’t because of the by-elections, though; this was even done before. Today, we have electricity.”
He stressed that the provision of power was only the beginning of plans to restore the GCD site as a major source of employment.
“It is the first step towards getting GCD back on track, which can employ 1000s of people. There are other things we are looking at.”
The Electoral Commission’s certified results showed Baidoo securing 18,199 votes of the total valid votes cast. His closest rival, Kwame Asumadu of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), garnered 15,235 votes. Owusu Patrick of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) trailed far behind with 82 votes. Out of the total ballots cast, 33,819 were valid, while 303 were rejected.
Eastern Regional Secretary of the NPP, Tony Osei-Adjei, acknowledged the outcome. He said while the party was disappointed by the results, it respects the will of the people.
Baidoo described the win as more than a political triumph, framing it instead as a mandate to restore hope and jobs to the people of Akwatia.
