Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor
Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has revealed that he was contacted several times by government officials during the Akufo-Addo administration and urged to back down because he was holding them accountable.
Citing one instance, he disclosed that he came under direct pressure after initiating legal action to challenge the procurement process of the Agenda 111 hospital project.
Speaking in an interview on Starr FM, Thursday, June 19, 2025, the Member of Parliament for South Dayi, claimed government representatives repeatedly contacted him, urging him to withdraw his suit, which he filed over what he described as irregularities in awarding a design contract to renowned architect David Adjaye for a fee of $600,000.
“We were here, and we were told that the government had given the design contract of Agenda 111 to Adjaye for $600,000 at the time they were designing the hospitals. Then we realized that they had already procured contractors to go and build the hospitals,” Dafeamekpor stated.
Concerned about a possible breach of procurement laws—particularly since the Agenda 111 initiative was being supported under a World Bank framework—Dafeamekpor took legal action to challenge the process.
“I sued, challenging the procurement process because it was a World Bank project. I think I issued the action early enough that the World Bank office picked up the matter, reviewed the writ, and saw great merit in it,” he disclosed. “I was told they advised that they couldn’t proceed until the matter was resolved.”
Despite standing on solid legal grounds, the MP said he ultimately chose not to pursue the case to its full extent, citing the potential negative consequences for his constituents and other districts in the Volta Region that were set to benefit from the Agenda 111 project.
“One [hospital project] came to my constituency. There were seven districts in the Volta Region that didn’t have district hospitals, and they were all going to benefit,” he explained. “If I persisted, these projects would stall, and my people, along with others, would lose this opportunity.”
Dafeamekpor acknowledged that although a judicial victory was likely, the practical impact might have been counterproductive.
“The monies had already been paid. Even if my declaration succeeded and the process was reversed and re-awarded, Adjaye would still likely be given the contract again. So yes, there would have been a legal win—but to what end?”
The South Dayi legislator said the situation placed him in a moral dilemma, especially during the COVID-19 crisis, when the government was under pressure to rapidly expand healthcare infrastructure.
“At that time, the projects were being rolled out as part of the response to the challenges we faced with COVID, and you don’t want to come across as the single act—just you—that threw the whole country’s infrastructure plans into disarray,” he said. “So I weighed the options and allowed my individual aspiration to give way.”
During Pres. Akufo-Addo’s administration, I was called several times by government to back down because I was holding them accountable… – Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor (South Dayi MP)#GHOneNews #EIBNetwork#GHOneTV #NewsAlert @starr1035fm #StarrFM pic.twitter.com/3AKDGpV9TE
— GHOne TV (@ghonetv) June 20, 2025
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