Former Lower West Akim Member of Parliament, Gifty Klenam, has officially joined the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after years of being affiliated with the New Patriotic Party (NPP), according to a recent report by Okay FM.
During a press conference where she announced her decision, Klenam expressed her belief in President John Dramani Mahama’s leadership, particularly in driving export growth and accelerating economic development. She stated that she is confident Ghana can achieve meaningful progress under Mahama’s administration.
Klenam also took the opportunity to express her gratitude to the NPP for the platform it gave her to serve in Parliament. However, she clarified that her decision to switch political allegiance was a deeply personal one. She revealed that joining the NDC would have made her late father proud, as he was a strong supporter of the party.
Addressing rumors about her defection, she dismissed claims suggesting she was acting as an NPP informant within the NDC. She insisted that her move was based on conviction rather than any ulterior motives.
A former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Klenam has had a distinguished political career. She first won the Lower West Akim parliamentary seat on the NPP’s ticket in 2008 and secured re-election in 2012. However, her tenure in Parliament ended after she lost the party’s primaries in 2016 to Eyiah Kyei-Bafuor, who later became the NPP’s representative for the constituency.
Notably, Klenam holds the record as the first female MP for the constituency and the only one to have served two consecutive terms. Throughout her time in office, she played a key role in various developmental initiatives, particularly in education, healthcare, and trade.
In the 2008 elections, she garnered 21,912 votes (55.5%), increasing her tally to 25,663 votes (57.5%) in 2012, reinforcing the NPP’s dominance in the area. Historically, Lower West Akim has been a stronghold for the NPP since 2000, with the exception of 1996 when the NDC’s Akuamoah Ofosu Boateng won the seat.
Despite her longstanding ties with the NPP, Klenam’s alignment with the NDC could potentially influence the political dynamics of the constituency in the upcoming 2024 elections. With her background as a businesswoman, exporter, and former member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Trade, Industry, and Tourism, she continues to be a notable figure in Ghana’s political landscape.
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