Dr Alfred Kuranchie, Board Chairman of COCOBOD was on Wednesday elected as the Central Regional representative of the Council of State.
He pooled 38 votes to beat two other contestants, Dr Ato Essuman an Educationist and the incumbent Council member who polled two votes while Mr Raymond Aboagye, a 24-year old third year student of the University of Cape Coast, had no vote.
The keenly contested election was conducted by the Regional Electoral Commission with a 40-member electoral college drawn from all the districts in the region.
Mrs. Ama Benyiwaa Doe, the Caretaker Central Regional Minister congratulated Dr Kuranchie and urged him to effectively carry out his mandate and help the region to salvage its image of being among the poorest in the country.
She also urged the other two contestants who did not win, to share their expertise with Dr Kuranchie and solidly stand behind him in his endeavours to help improve upon the development needs of the region.
Dr Alfred Kuranchie, who is also the Managing Director of the National Investment Bank (NIB), thanked those who voted for the confidence reposed in him, and said he would do everything possible to bring back the glory of the region.
He expressed concern about the fact that the region was the fourth poorest in the country and therefore called for the support of all stakeholders and individual to help develop the region to the status it deserves.
Dr Kuranchie pledged that he would give President John Dramani Mahama the needed advise and would support all the development plans the President had for the region to enhance the living conditions of the people.
For his part, Dr Essuman congratulated the member-elect and promised to share his eight years' experience as a Council member and that he would also support him in all his endeavours.
Mr. Aboagye also commended the new Council member and called on him to take into consideration youth issues in all his plans since the youth are the future leaders of the country.