Former NDC flagbearer, John Mahama, has slammed NPP for failing on its Agenda 111 Hospitals project.
The former President calls the initiative a “lofty promise”, and asked the NPP to “take Ghanaians more seriously.”
“The ‘Agenda 111’ hospitals promise is in its 4th year, yet not a single hospital has been completed to support quality healthcare delivery. This is contrary to the lofty promise made in 2020. The NPP must learn to take Ghanaians serious. Enough of the slogans” the former President said in a Facebook post.
About The Project
The Agenda 111 project is part of a grand vision for Ghana’s healthcare sector by the Akufo-Addo administration.
The project seeks to ensure that 101 outstanding districts will be provided with hospitals. This includes 10 selected regional and specialized hospitals.
The government has already set aside an amount of US$100 million as commencement funding for the project. Each hospital was to cost $16.88 million, with $12.88 million allocated for the construction of the hospitals, and $4 million for medical equipment.
In August 2021, President Akufo-Addo cut sod in the Ashanti Region to signal the beginning of the hospital projects. The timeline for completion nationwide was 18 months.
Our initial schedule for Agenda 111 was overly ambitious – Akufo-Addo
On March 30, 2022, President Akufo-Addo admitted that the timeline for the project’s completion was overly ambitious.
He admitted to this during the delivery of the State of the nation address in Parliament. He announced a new completion date of January 7, 2025.
“Agenda 111 is an ambitious project, which must and will be done” the President said.
He added that it will create 33,900 jobs for construction workers, and upon completion, some 34,300 jobs for health workers.
“Mr. Speaker, I have to report that, like all major construction projects, it is evident that the initial schedule we gave for the completion of Agenda 111 was overly ambitious.”
The President also lamented the challenges in identifying suitable sites for the project
