Former Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr. Nsiah Asare, has rejected claims that the Agenda 111 project is facing financial struggles and requires an additional $1.7 billion to be completed, as suggested by former President John Dramani Mahama.
The Agenda 111 initiative, launched during the COVID-19 pandemic under former President Akufo-Addo, aims to build 111 district and regional hospitals, including psychiatric facilities, to enhance healthcare access across the country.
However, with no fully operational hospitals yet, President Mahama recently stated that over $400 million had already been spent, with little progress made, and an extra $1.7 billion needed for completion.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Burning Issues, Dr. Nsiah Asare dismissed these claims, emphasizing that the project does not require new funding, as previous budget allocations had been made under the former administration. He explained that part of Ghana’s oil revenue was used to finance the project, alongside direct budgetary allocations.
“The claim that there was no money to fund Agenda 111 is not true. Former President Akufo-Addo permitted us to use part of the oil funds because Agenda 111 is a legacy project, in addition to direct budgetary allocations,” he said.
Dr. Nsiah Asare further clarified that the Akufo-Addo government had documented the financial requirements for the incoming administration, with a significant portion of the $1.7 billion already paid as of December last year.
“Several hospitals under Agenda 111 have been completed and furnished, but they are yet to be staffed. Meanwhile, many trained health professionals remain unemployed,” he added.
Dr. Nsiah Asare called on the current government to expedite the process of deploying medical personnel to the completed facilities, ensuring that they become fully operational and serve their intended purpose.
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