President John Dramani Mahama has called on the international community to partner with his government in completing the stalled Agenda 111 hospital projects initiated by the previous administration. According to him, his government requires an estimated $1.7 billion to complete the hospitals.
Speaking at a credentials presentation ceremony for five newly appointed ambassadors to Ghana, Mahama underscored the critical role of private sector collaboration in delivering essential healthcare services.
“With regards to healthcare, we would like to see what the cooperation is. We do have a problem with our hospital facilities. The previous government started huge projects in healthcare, building more than 100 hospitals, and somehow, we are stuck because they spent a lot of money and were not able to operationalize any of them.
”And so, we are looking to see if we can have some cooperation with the private sector or any entrepreneurs that are into hospital management to finish those hospitals and manage them over a period of time in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service.”
H.E President John Dramani Mahama
The appeal for international cooperation comes at a time when Ghana’s healthcare infrastructure remains a key priority for the government. Mahama’s administration is exploring viable options to ensure the completion and operationalization of the hospitals to improve healthcare delivery across the country.
A Strong Foundation of Ghana-Italy Relations
President Mahama expressed optimism about the future of Ghana-Italy relations, noting;
“You’re the first ambassador I’m receiving, and so I think that that’s a good sign on the relation between Ghana and Italy. Our relations have been historical, and Ghanaians have a very high regard for our cooperation with Italy.”
H.E President John Dramani Mahama
He recalled Italy’s contributions to Ghana’s infrastructure, particularly the construction of the Akosombo and Kpong Dams.
“When we were children learning about the Akosombo Dam, we heard about Impregilo, the Italian engineering company that built the dam. And, in later years, when our second dam was built, the Kpong Dam, we heard about Sadelmi and all of them. And so, we’re all quite familiar with Italian engineering and technology.”
H.E President John Dramani Mahama
Mahama stressed that this strong foundation could be expanded, particularly in agriculture and technology.
President Mahama underscored the importance of agriculture in his administration’s priorities. He emphasized the need for food security, production, and value chain development.
“We think that one of the first things any responsible government must do is to provide food security for its people. We’ve had inflation go up to 54%. It is now dropping gradually at 22%, and we’re hoping that it will come down further. But one of the main drivers of inflation has been food inflation.”
“If we can get the technology and partner with Italy to produce food from the farm, right to processing to the market, I think that is the focus our government is aiming at.”
H.E President John Dramani Mahama
Ghana’s Labor Export Program
Mahama also discussed Ghana’s newly launched Labor Export Program, which aims to upskill Ghanaian youth and provide them with international job opportunities.
He explained that the program would offer training in various skilled professions, such as electricians, welders, engineers, masons, and carpenters, enabling them to work on fixed contracts abroad.
“We discussed it with the International Office for Migration (IOM) when I was in Munich at the Munich Security Conference. They are bringing some technical expertise to work with us in setting up that program.”
H.E President John Dramani Mahama
The program aims to curb illegal migration by providing legal work avenues abroad.
“We want to stop young people, unskilled, from trying to cross the Sahara and the Mediterranean to try and reach Europe. If they know there’s a legal way in which they can go, have skills, go and work, and be able to earn some money and invest back at home, it will be a better alternative.”
H.E President John Dramani Mahama
Mahama also discussed Ghana’s partnership with ENI, an Italian multinational energy company, which supplies about 60% of Ghana’s total gas supply. He assured that outstanding issues with ENI had been resolved, enabling further investment in Ghana.
He highlighted the potential for further collaboration between Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and ENI in the upstream oil and gas industry.
Ghana’s Position on Russia-Ukraine War
On global security, Mahama welcomed the 30-day ceasefire proposed by President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.
“We hope that will open the way for some kind of dialogue to start to see if the issue of Russia and Ukraine can be resolved. A lot of young people have died, and it’s time for the war to stop. It can only stop if there’s a ceasefire and some kind of dialogue begins.”
H.E President John Dramani Mahama
Mahama further highlighted the security threats in the Sahel region, where Ghana’s neighboring countries are facing terrorist insurgencies.
“Three of our neighbors in the Sahelian region are facing a very difficult struggle with terrorists, and we need to see how we can support them because it’s not their battle alone.”
“Terrorism anywhere in the world is terrorism against all of us, against the whole world, not just the countries in which these terrorists are.”
H.E President John Dramani Mahama
Mahama expressed the need for stronger cooperation between ECOWAS and the African Union (AU) to tackle terrorism.
Mahama called for revitalizing Ghana-Italy industrial partnerships, particularly in agro-processing and small-scale manufacturing.
“We have our Association of Ghana Industries, and we have entrepreneurs who are interested in going into agribusiness. We know that when it comes to agribusiness and agro-processing, Italy has a comparative advantage, especially in small machinery.”
H.E President John Dramani Mahama
He urged the Italian ambassador to explore reviving previous Italian financing programs for industrial projects in Ghana.
The Italian ambassador in response acknowledged that a technical mission had recently assessed the possibility of reactivating the initiative.
President Mahama’s meeting with the Italian ambassador reaffirmed the strong ties between Ghana and Italy. He identified key areas for strategic cooperation, including agriculture, labor migration, healthcare, energy, security, and industrialization.
At the ceremony on Wednesday, March 12, five newly appointed envoys presented their Letters of Credence to the President. They include Ms. Laura Ranalli, Ambassador of the Republic of Italy; Julio Enrique Pujol Torres, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba; and Musu Jatu Ruhle, Ambassador of the Republic of Liberia.
Also in attendance were Dr. Abdulla Muraid Sulaiman Mohammed Al Mandoos, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, and Ali Ghomshi, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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