The contractor responsible for the Weija Children’s Hospital has reportedly been picked up by officials of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) following a meeting with the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, over the long-delayed operationalisation of the facility.
The contractor, identified as Awerco Construction Limited, was invited to a meeting with the Health Minister on Friday, July 10, to discuss the completion and handover of the hospital, which has remained unused despite being structurally completed for more than two years.
According to report, the contractor declined the request to hand over the facility, insisting that he would not release it until the outstanding balance owed under the contract had been fully paid, or until government provided firm assurances on when the remaining payment would be made.
The meeting was the attempt to resolve a dispute that has simmered publicly since May, when Awerco threatened legal action against the Ministry over a press statement alleging procurement irregularities, including claims that some medical equipment had been priced at up to 11 times its actual cost.
The contractor rejected those allegations, with its lawyers stating in a letter to the Ministry that the client had been wrongly portrayed as being responsible for the Ministry’s inability to commission and operationalise the hospital.
Addressing Parliament just two days before Friday’s meeting, Mr Akandoh had struck a more conciliatory tone, telling MPs he inherited the project and that a World Bank-flagged “misprocurement” issue had complicated its completion.
“If the project was handed over this morning, within the next 24 hours, we won’t even need any fanfare we will commission it because we have a full complement of staff for that facility. There are issues, but we’re not relenting on them.”
Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh
EOCO Action Not Yet Officially Confirmed
Following the meeting, EOCO officials reportedly picked up the Awerco contractor and transported him to the agency’s headquarters. The circumstances surrounding the action have not yet been officially disclosed, and EOCO has not issued a statement on the matter. The Ministry of Health has also not commented publicly on the development, leaving key details, including the specific grounds for the contractor’s detention, unconfirmed.
A Hospital Built, But Never Opened
The Weija Children’s Hospital has become a subject of growing public concern after remaining unoperational despite being physically completed for more than two years. The 120-bed specialist facility, located in the Weija-Gbawe Municipality, was constructed with World Bank funding to improve access to paediatric healthcare and reduce pressure on major referral facilities, including the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital.
The project was designed to provide specialised services for newborns, children and adolescents, with modern wards, operating theatres, intensive care facilities and outpatient services.
Despite completion of the physical infrastructure, the hospital has never been commissioned or opened to the public, a delay officials have attributed largely to unresolved contractual and administrative issues, including disputes over outstanding payments and the completion of ancillary works such as protective electrical systems.
Delayed Operationalization and Public Concern
The prolonged delay has attracted sustained criticism from health stakeholders and residents of Weija-Gbawe, some of whom staged a demonstration in May demanding the hospital’s immediate opening.
The frustration has been compounded by repeated missed timelines, the Ministry’s own spokesperson had indicated in May that the facility would become operational within two to three weeks, a promise that has not materialised.
For residents, the stakes extend beyond bureaucratic wrangling. The facility was designed to serve as a major referral centre for paediatric care, easing pressure on existing hospitals at a time when health facilities across the country continue to face rising patient numbers and periodic disease outbreaks.
With the contractor reportedly now in EOCO custody and neither the Ministry nor EOCO offering an official account of events, the coming days are likely to bring pressure on both institutions to clarify what happened at Friday’s meeting and what it means for the hospital’s long awaited opening.
Until an official statement is issued, the exact legal basis for the contractor’s detention, and its implications for resolving the underlying payment dispute, remain unclear.
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