The Centre for Democratic Development’s (CDD) Ghana Senior Fellow for Health, Dr. Kwame Sarpong Asiedu, has spotlighted the staggering cost of implementing both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) health manifestos, estimating a combined requirement of $32.4 billion over a four-year period.

According to Dr. Asiedu, the NDC’s health plan would need approximately $18.5 billion, while the NPP’s agenda would require around $13.9 billion.

This revelation came during Dr. Asiedu’s co-hosting of this week’s edition of the JoyNews Manifesto Tracker on PM Express, where he unpacked the financial outlook for both parties' ambitious health proposals. The analysis, conducted by the CDD, suggests an annual budget of $4.63 billion for the NDC’s 111 health-related promises and $3.48 billion for the NPP’s 52 health commitments.

Dr. Asiedu underscored a common issue with electoral manifestos, describing them as “wish lists” that rarely see full implementation. “Four years from now, we’re likely to be questioning why many of these promises were unfulfilled,” he stated. He further challenged the parties to disclose funding sources, especially given the nation’s budget deficit.

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In response, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, the NPP’s Presidential Advisor on Health and the party’s manifesto spokesperson on health, voiced skepticism over the CDD’s costing. Dr. Nsiah-Asare contended that the NPP is dedicated to boosting health sector investment, adding, “We are on course to meet our 15% GDP target for health. We plan to work with the private sector to strengthen our healthcare system.”

While Dr. Nsiah-Asare withheld a specific figure for the NPP’s health budget, he affirmed that a comprehensive costing was completed.

“We’ve done our calculations, but I can’t predict the 2025 economic climate,” he noted.

Professor Titus Beyuo, the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Lambussie and former General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association, also expressed doubts about the basis of the CDD’s estimates.

“I don’t know the source of your 111 promises. For instance, our free primary healthcare policy is phased and projected to cost $49 million annually,” he clarified, indicating a more segmented approach to the party's health spending.

As Ghana’s political landscape intensifies, the CDD’s findings underscore the immense fiscal responsibility tied to health pledges and call for greater transparency on how the two major parties plan to finance their commitments amidst economic challenges.