Vice President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Selorm Branttie, has called for a public commission of enquiry to investigate the Agenda 111 hospital project.
The seasoned policy analyst, in a strong call for accountability, raised serious concerns about the lack of financial transparency and accountability in the execution of contracts under the initiative.
Selorm Branttie’s remarks come in the wake of a statement from the Ministry of Health (MoH), which refuted claims made by former Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adams regarding the completion and commissioning of three hospitals under the previous NPP administration’s Agenda 111 project.
The Ministry of Health, in an earlier statement, swiftly countered this claim, stating that no hospital under Agenda 111 has been completed or is operational.
The MoH’s response emphasized that no hospital under the initiative is currently operational, nor have any been fully equipped for medical services.
The ministry also clarified that none of the facilities have been fully equipped for medical services, contradicting Amin Adams’ assertion.
Agenda 111, a flagship project of the immediate past NPP-Akufo-Addo administration, was launched to construct 111 district and regional hospitals across the country, aiming to bridge gaps in healthcare infrastructure.
The proposed project was aimed to boost the provision of healthcare infrastructure in line with the government’s commitment to ensuring universal health care to all citizens and the attainment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3).
It was to further be a fulfillment of the previous government’s policy of a hospital in each district and region and improve the geographical coverage of healthcare delivery in the country, as well as offer improved access to healthcare for all Ghanaians.
In the process, the outcome was also a model of accelerated construction of health facilities developed for future health projects.
However, since its announcement, the project has faced delays, funding concerns, and execution challenges, raising public skepticism about its feasibility and completion timeline.
In a social media post, Selorm Branttie posed critical questions that he believes should be addressed through a public probe. He suggested that all contractors involved in the project should be called upon to answer these critical questions.
“How much was the initial mobilization given to them? How much was taken and withheld as ‘business development,’ and how much was paid to them for subsequent phases? How much was withheld as further ‘business development ‘? Who took those monies? And on what authority?”
Selorm Branttie, Vice President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education
Selorm Branttie further questioned why some contractors, despite allegedly receiving full funding for mobilization and other project milestones, had failed to complete and hand over the hospitals.
He also alleged that some government staffers had inserted themselves into the process as middlemen, unnecessarily complicating the execution of the project.
Selorm Branttie’s demand for a public inquiry underscores growing concerns about the lack of transparency in government projects.
He argued that without an independent investigation, the country risks repeating patterns of mismanagement that have plagued other large-scale infrastructure projects.
Dr. Kwame Asiedu Sarpong Questions Government’s Credibility
Adding to the conversation, Dr. Kwame Asiedu Sarpong, a Democracy and Development Fellow in Public Health at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), also raised concerns over the government’s handling of the project.
He questioned how hospitals could be claimed as operational when contractors had not handed them over due to outstanding debts.
“How do you operationalize hospitals when the contractor hasn’t handed it over to you because you owe over US$8 million for the work done so far? Can someone help me understand?”
Dr. Kwame Asiedu Sarpong, a Democracy and Development Fellow in Public Health at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana)
His comments highlight the alleged financial irregularities and mismanagement that have clouded the Agenda 111 initiative, raising doubts about whether the project will meet its objectives within the stipulated time frame.
Many civil society organizations and policy analysts have echoed similar sentiments, urging the government to publish a detailed financial breakdown of the Agenda 111 project, including all funds disbursed, expenditures incurred, and reasons for the delays.
The demand for a public probe is gaining traction among governance and public policy analysts who believe that a thorough investigation will help uncover whether funds were misused, contracts were fairly awarded, and if political interference played a role in the project’s stagnation.
