Prof. Seidu Mahama Alidu, the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, has marked just over a year in office with a set of constituency projects spanning water, health, education, roads and employment, according to an interview he gave to the Daily Graphic and reported by Graphic Online. He was sworn in on October 21, 2025. In the interview, held in Accra, the MP set out what his office has done so far and what he intends to do next.
Graphic Online reports that his programme centres on people rather than announcements, with spending and projects spread across the constituency's electoral areas.
Why it matters
Tamale Central is described by Graphic Online as a political hotspot in northern Ghana, which makes the record of its MP a matter of wider interest than the seat itself. The reporting also sets out a template that other constituencies may be measured against: money for small businesses, boreholes for communities without reliable water, equipment and insurance support for hospitals, exam help for school pupils, and job placements in public institutions.
Prof. Alidu told the Daily Graphic that helping people matters most when it produces opportunities that last and changes how households earn. That framing runs through each of the initiatives he listed.
Enterprise fund, skills academy and football scouting
Under the Lebgimsim Enterprise Fund, the MP said GH¢120,000 has been paid out to a first group of 60 women. The aim, according to his account, is to help them expand their businesses, raise household incomes and play a larger part in supporting their families.
He also said he wants to train about 20,000 young people by 2030 through a Skills and Innovation Academy, which he said would prepare them to compete for work in a tougher global environment.
On sport, Prof. Alidu said he has worked with European football scouts to find talented young men and women in the constituency for trials and exposure abroad. He argued that this could lead to professional careers and opportunities that change lives, and that it shows a focus on long-term prospects rather than short-term help alone.
Water, health and roads
The MP said he started 15 borehole projects across Tamale Central. Three have been commissioned so far, in Gumbihini North, Aboabo and Changli, and Graphic Online reports that the rest are roughly 90 per cent finished. Prof. Alidu said the projects are a significant step for communities where dependable water is still a daily problem, reducing the load on households.
On health, he said he has given essential equipment to some hospitals, registered and renewed National Health Insurance Scheme membership for residents in all 18 electoral areas, and covered hospital bills for more than 50 constituents. He described the goal as making care easier to reach, cheaper and more dependable.
The MP said he has inspected inner-city road works in Gumbihini South, Gumbihini North and the Agric–Mohiyabihi areas and backed their continuation. Drainage work is also under way in Lamakara, which he said should improve water flow, ease movement, help local trade and make the area safer to get around.
Classrooms, exam support and job placements
Education features heavily in the MP's account. He said more than 1,800 candidates in the last Basic Education Certificate Examination received help, including extra classes, mathematical sets and transport allowances so they could reach their exam centres. In his view, this reduced the pressure on families and let pupils concentrate on their papers.
He commissioned a three-classroom block with a staff common room and an office at Salafiya Islamic School in Gumbihini, and a six-classroom block at St. Paul's Junior High School, also in Gumbihini. A furnished six-classroom block at Farukiya Islamic School in Changli is finished and waiting to be commissioned, according to the report.
The MP said he has paid fees for more than 100 tertiary students and given money to parents with children in senior high school, including medical students from the constituency. Furniture has gone to more than 10 schools, and he aims to distribute up to 4,000 pieces within the next year. He said these steps reflect an understanding that schools need practical backing for pupils and parents, not just buildings.
On employment, Prof. Alidu said he has helped more than 150 constituents find work in areas including Arabic teaching, the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Minerals Commission, the National Identification Authority, the Forestry Commission, teaching and non-teaching posts, nursing, security and other public service roles. He said each placement stands for more than a salary, calling it a source of dignity and a route to a better future.
Graphic Online notes that Prof. Alidu, a former head of the University of Ghana's political science department, remains popular with constituents and is a familiar voice on television and radio, where he discusses national issues plainly.
What to watch: whether the remaining boreholes are commissioned and the Farukiya classroom block opened, and whether the skills academy and furniture targets hold to their stated timelines.
