Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader in Parliament, has narrated how the Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom Bursary made it possible for him to complete his Senior High School education.
According to Afenyo-Markin, during his Senior high School education at St. Augustine, his family faced financial challenges.
He recounted that his parents’ friends supported his fees in year one and year two, but things got bad in year three.
Afenyo-Markin narrated how his mom was out of work, and how his stepdad was demoted for following Kufuor in the 1996 Election.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews on October 27, 2025, Afenyo-Markin explained, “But for Papa Kwesi Ndoum’s bursary, I sitting here wouldn’t have completed SHS, and I know many of my classmates in Winneba who completed the BECE… in St Augustine, the final year…
By the way, the parents of my friends supported my fees in year one and year two, and by year three, things were bad. My mom was out of work; my stepdad had been demoted. He was at Pomadze poultry, they were not being paid, and he got demoted because of politics”.
He added, “They say he had followed Kufuor in the 1996 Election, so he was demoted and transferred, and made a watchman from a mason foreman. He was sent to Ankaful – that’s where Pomadze Poultry had some old machines, and he was sent there, and Pomadze Poultry’s business was going down. So, they were not being paid”.
Afenyo Markin added, “I was almost dropping out, but Ndoum brought his bursary, and he said anybody who will break his record should get that bursary. It was a competition, and so, it wasn’t even for a brilliant but poor child. It was a competition, and by the grace of God, I won it.”
Also, Afenyo-Markin, in that same interview, revealed the former Akufo-Addo government lost the middle class through the haircut and difficult decisions they had to take to save the Ghanaian economy.
The minority leader admitted that, as a politician, one should not shy away from their weaknesses.
According to him, the NPP government had its successes and failures in government.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews on October 27, 2025, Afenyo-Markin explained, “As a politician, you should not be shy about your weaknesses. When you come into government, you have your success story, you have your failings.
We are not here to talk about my weakness; we can talk about the weakness of the party. We had the opportunity, we were faced with some huge challenges, we were tired, but we were not too successful typical example is galamsey. It was a great concern”.
He added, “The global crisis that hit us, with COVID, and then eventually we had to stabilise the economy, in stabilising which meant that certain hard decisions had to be taken.
We lost the middle class, our own base, the businessmen, because there were some haircuts, pensioners, educated people who ordinarily will vote NPP got disappointed, to the extent that a former Chief Justice who was appointed by our own administration, who ordinarily will have her love for our party, was on the streets fighting for her pension.
It is understandable, so all these things more or less took away the shine”.
Watch the video below:
But for Paa Kwesi Nduom’s bursary, I wouldn’t have completed SHS – Afenyo-Markin, Minority Leader.#PMExpress pic.twitter.com/guNQEzmbii
— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) October 27, 2025