President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated his administration’s commitment to completing all ongoing health infrastructure projects across the country, assuring that both the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital expansion project and the new Western Regional Hospital at Apemenyim will be completed on schedule.
The President gave this assurance during an inspection tour of the two key medical facilities in the Western Region, where he was briefed by contractors and local officials on the state of work.
At the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital in Takoradi, President Mahama expressed satisfaction with the progress of construction, describing the work as “impressive” and noting that the project had reached about 45 percent completion.
He underscored that the expansion forms part of government’s broader plan to decentralize health delivery in the region and reduce the strain on the existing referral facility.
“Effia-Nkwanta has been the main hospital in the whole of the Western Region. It has been the main referral hospital. And so it was necessary to expand it and then also build a second regional hospital at Apemenyim.
“We went and looked at the progress of work at Apemenyim. That one is far behind this one. This is a bit more advanced.”
President John Dramani Mahama
The President assured that his government is actively engaging with the Ministry of Finance and the contractors to resolve all pending financial claims to ensure that work resumes at full pace.
“We are working with the Ministry of Finance and the contractors to make sure that the claims that we have there are validated and then we pay them so that they can come back to site and continue the work they are doing”.
President John Dramani Mahama
First-Class Teaching Hospital
President Mahama emphasized that the Effia-Nkwanta expansion is designed to transform the facility into a first-class teaching hospital, equipped to deliver advanced medical services to the people of the Western Region and beyond.
He expressed optimism that once the necessary funding arrangements are finalized, the project will soon reach completion. “I can assure you that very soon the contractor will come back to site. The next time we gather here, I will not be coming to inspect the project; I will be coming to commission it,” he remarked.
Reaffirming his long-standing view on the continuity of governance, President Mahama cautioned against the culture of abandoning projects started by previous administrations.
“As I said during the campaign period last year, one of the practices that has drawn Ghana back is that when a new government comes, it does not continue the work the previous government was doing. But governance is like a relay race. One government passes the baton to the next,” he stressed.
President John Dramani Mahama
He assured Ghanaians that his administration will not allow public funds already invested in the project to go to waste.
“This project is one of the baton that the previous government passed on to us. I can assure you that the money that has gone into this building is the money of the Ghanaian taxpayer. And so, we’re not going to let it go to waste. We’re going to continue and finish this project”.
President John Dramani Mahama
New Western Regional Hospital
Later, at the site of the new Western Regional Hospital in Apemenyim, President Mahama disclosed that the project had stalled before his administration assumed office on January 7, 2025, due to funding constraints linked to the previous government’s domestic debt exchange program.
He noted that through negotiations with Ghana’s official creditor committee, funding for the project and other affected infrastructure works has now been reinstated.
“Since then, we have negotiated with the official creditors committee, and they have agreed to reinstate funding for all projects that were affected by the debt exchange program under the previous NPP administration”.
President John Dramani Mahama
According to him, the contractor informed him that work on the Apemenyim project currently stands at 27 percent. He expressed confidence that the remaining phases will be completed within the next 18 months, ensuring that the Western Region will soon boast two major referral hospitals — one in Takoradi and another in Apimenem.
The President’s tour of the health facilities forms part of his broader agenda to assess the progress of key infrastructure projects nationwide and to ensure that strategic developments in healthcare, education, and transportation continue without disruption.
President Mahama was accompanied on the inspection tour by the Minister of Health Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan and Deputy Minister for Health, Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah; the Western Regional Minister;; the Regional Director of Health Services; and the Regional NDC Chairman, Nana Toku.
The Effia-Nkwanta Hospital expansion and the Apimenem Regional Hospital projects are central to the government’s healthcare decentralization drive, aimed at improving access to quality medical services across all regions.
Once completed, both facilities are expected to significantly reduce the pressure on the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital and other major referral centers in southern Ghana.
President Mahama’s commitment to completing inherited projects and ensuring prudent use of public resources has been a recurring theme in his administration. His remarks at Effia-Nkwanta and Apimenem reaffirm his vision of continuity in governance and the need to build on national progress irrespective of political transitions.
As the President concluded his visit, he expressed gratitude to the staff and residents of the Western Region for their patience and support. “Thank you very much. It’s just a short visit, but I promise you that we’ll be back — and next time, it will be for the commissioning,” he said.
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