Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and John Dramani Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government completed only one of the Agenda 111 projects it started.
According to Mahama, the one hospital the Akufo-Addo government managed to complete out of the about 100 hospitals it promised was empty, without even a single piece of furniture in it.
The president made these remarks while criticising the decision of the previous government to complete hospitals at places where there were existing mission hospitals.
He pointed out that rather than starting the construction of new health facilities, the Akufo-Addo administration should have collaborated with faith-based organisations to make their existing health facilities better.
“Unfortunately, that was not followed in Agenda 111. So, there are many places where you have a mission hospital. We could have used that money to upgrade the facilities in the mission hospital. Government has gone to start a hospital, has not been able to finish it, and they are sitting there, some at foundation level, some at lintel level, and so many of them – almost 90 hospitals. We need $1.7 billion to be able to complete the hospitals.
“The one that they said they commissioned, there’s nothing in it, just one hospital. They finished the structure, but there’s not even a bed in the hospital. And so, we discussed it a bit in Cabinet, but the Minister of Health is going to come with a paper to see what we do,” he said at a meeting with the Christian Council on Monday, February 24, 2025.
The president indicated that one of the solutions to completing the project will be for faith-based organisations to take up some of them.
He said that the missions can take some of the uncompleted Agenda 111 projects, complete them, and manage them.
“I believe that if some of the missions are interested, we could get them to finish the hospital and manage the hospital and provide the service… It will be a mix. We can also raise money and finish some, but the mission hospitals can take some and complete them and run the hospital,” he said.
About Agenda 111:
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the construction of the facilities on August 17, 2021, with a promise to complete the work within 18 months.
The plan to construct the hospitals was first announced in the 8th COVID-19 national address, on April 26, 2020, by the president months after the Coronavirus pandemic hit Ghana.
It was initially “Agenda 88” but the government later revised it to “Agenda 111.” The 23 additional facilities included 13 more district hospitals.
The standard 100-bed facilities which will be in districts without hospitals will also have accommodation for staff.
Beneficiary regions and respective breakdown are Ashanti, 10; Volta, nine; Eastern, eight; Greater Accra, seven; Upper East, seven; Oti, five; Upper West, five; Bono, five; Western North, five; Savanna, three; Bono East, two; and North East, two.
The remaining are six regional hospitals in the newly-created regions, two specialised hospitals in the middle and northern belts, as well as a regional hospital in the Western Region and renovation of the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital.
BAI/AE
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