Mark Owen Woyongo, the former Member of Parliament (MP) for Navrongo Central and former interior minister, has passed away.
MyNewsGh has confirmed his death, although the cause has not been disclosed. On Wednesday, January 17, 2024, his followers on social media expressed their grief over his demise.
After losing the 2016 election, Woyongo retired from politics. He served as an MP for Navrongo and held the position of Interior Minister. Additionally, he was the owner and chief executive officer of Diamond FM, a radio station based in Tamale.
Furthermore, it has been revealed that the former Interior Minister recently buried his son, Kenneth Kwotua, who passed away at the age of 49.
In the 2008 Ghanaian parliamentary election, Woyongo ran as a candidate for the National Democratic Congress. Despite receiving 41.7% of the votes, he narrowly lost to Joseph Kofi Adda of the New Patriotic Party by a margin of 1,130 votes (3.5%).
However, he was later appointed as the Upper East Regional Minister by President Mills in 2009. Following Mills’ passing, President Mahama chose to retain Woyongo in this position. In 2013, President Mahama nominated him to serve as the Minister of Defense.
Before his political career, Woyongo served as the Public Relations Officer for the Upper East Regional Administration from 1978 to 1985. He then held the position of Regional Information Officer for the Upper East Region in 1985.
In 1994, he was appointed as the Minister Counselor for Information at the Ghana High Commission in London, United Kingdom. From 2009 to 2012, Woyongo served as the Minister for the Upper East Region. During his time as the Upper East Regional Minister, he survived a serious accident while returning from the NDC congress held in the region.
In the 2012 parliamentary elections, Woyongo secured victory as a candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC). In 2013, he was appointed as the Defense Minister and later served as the Minister of the Interior while still holding the position of Upper East Regional Minister.
