Former Minister for Works and Housing and NPP MP for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has called on the government to ensure the completion of the Agenda 111 hospital projects, warning that abandoning them would be detrimental to Ghana’s healthcare system.
Speaking at a press conference organised by the Minority Caucus in response to the 2025 Budget Statement, Hon. Oppong Nkrumah stressed the importance of the project, which was initiated under the Akufo-Addo administration to bridge healthcare infrastructure gaps in the country.
He expressed concern over the lack of a clear financing strategy in the budget to continue the project, noting that cuts to the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) could significantly stall progress. He further indicated that many districts had been counting on these hospitals to improve healthcare access, particularly in underserved areas.
“Not only is it contrary to the NDCs promises to health workers that it will continue the projects, abandoning them or giving them out as franchises will jeorpadize the efforts at universal health coverage. The millions of citizens in remote districts who are looking forward to their lives being saved from this healthcare intervention are now at risk.”
“Mr President, in the name of God, please do not abandon them for political reasons,” he stated.
His comments come amid criticisms from President John Dramani Mahama, who described the initiative as a “knee-jerk” response to the COVID-19 pandemic and lamented that none of the hospitals had become operational despite significant financial investment.
President Mahama, however, assured Ghanaians that his government would explore a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) approach to ensure the completion of the projects.
The press conference also was addressed by other NPP MPs, including Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam (MP for Karaga), Dr. Gideon Boako (MP for Tano North), and Madam Abena Osei Asare (MP for Atiwa East), all of whom voiced concerns about the 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy presented by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson.
