The Member of Parliament for Akyem Oda and former Deputy Minister for Health, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, has accused the government of neglecting the Agenda 111 hospital initiative, arguing that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration has failed to prioritize the completion and operationalization of the flagship healthcare project.
The lawmaker claims that all Agenda 111 hospital projects have been abandoned since the NDC assumed office, insisting that even the three facilities that were commissioned under the previous administration have not been made operational.
According to Mr. Acquah, adequate funding mechanisms had already been identified for the continuation and completion of the projects, including allocations from the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) Capital Expenditure derived from Ghana’s oil revenues, government budgetary allocations, and an initial $100 million support package sourced from COVID-19 funds.
“Where is the ABFA Capex?” he questioned, alleging that no budgetary allocation was made for the Agenda 111 programme in the 2025 fiscal year.
He further criticized the government’s planned allocation of only GH¢100 million in 2026, which he said amounts to less than $10 million and falls far short of what is required to complete the hospitals.
The former deputy health minister argued that the limited allocation demonstrates a lack of commitment to improving healthcare delivery across the country.
“Definitely NDC’s priority is not providing quality healthcare to the good people of this country,” he stated.
Mr. Acquah’s criticism comes at a time when the government has intensified scrutiny of the Agenda 111 project following the release of a special audit report into the initiative.
The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, recently announced that cases arising from the audit findings have been referred to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Office of the Attorney-General for further investigations.
According to the minister, the audit uncovered significant irregularities in the management and utilization of funds allocated to the nationwide hospital construction programme initiated by the previous administration.
The report reportedly identified major discrepancies surrounding procurement processes, financial management, and project execution, raising concerns about the value obtained from the substantial resources invested in the initiative.
Government officials have indicated that more than $400 million was spent on the Agenda 111 programme, yet none of the hospitals had been fully completed, equipped, and made operational by the time the current administration took office.
Faced with mounting fiscal constraints and the enormous financial demands associated with the project, the government has opted to adopt a phased approach to completing the hospitals.
Officials estimate that fully funding and constructing all 111 health facilities would require between $1.4 billion and $1.7 billion, a figure the administration says is beyond the country’s immediate financial capacity.
As a result, the government has announced plans to focus initially on 35 priority facilities across the country, with the aim of completing and operationalizing them within the shortest possible time to improve access to healthcare services.
The administration maintains that this targeted strategy will ensure that available resources are utilized efficiently while investigations into the project’s financial management continue.
The latest developments have reignited political debate over the future of Agenda 111, one of the most ambitious healthcare infrastructure programmes in Ghana’s history.
While the opposition insists that the government is deliberately slowing down the project and failing to allocate adequate resources for its completion, the administration argues that it inherited numerous stalled projects, financial commitments, and unresolved contractual issues that require careful management.
The controversy is expected to remain a key point of contention as government agencies proceed with investigations into the audit findings and as stakeholders continue to push for the completion of healthcare facilities intended to bridge critical gaps in Ghana’s health infrastructure.
For many communities that have long awaited the completion of their district hospitals, the outcome of both the investigations and the government’s phased implementation strategy could determine how quickly they gain access to improved healthcare services.
By 1960news.com
