The Minority in Parliament has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of mismanaging the Afari Military Hospital project, rejecting suggestions that previous administrations failed to prioritise its completion.

Addressing a press conference in Parliament, the Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Kofi Amankwa-Manu, argued that delays in the project were largely the result of decisions taken by the NDC after it assumed office in 2009.

“It is rich for the current government to accuse others of ‘sleeping’ on the project. The Afari Hospital story is a testament to NDC mismanagement,” he said.

According to Mr Amankwa-Manu, the project was originally awarded in 2008 under the administration of former President John Agyekum Kufuor and was initially intended to be constructed at Sofoline in Kumasi.

Originally contracted in 2008 under President J.A. Kufuor for Sofoline, Kumasi, the project was derailed when the NDC assumed office in 2009. They inexplicably relocated it to Tamale, then to Accra, and finally to Afari. This political manoeuvring caused a six-year delay, resulting in the contractor claiming an additional US$36 million, which was eventually negotiated down to US$19.3 million,” he alleged.

Mr Amankwa-Manu further claimed that progress on the project remained limited during the NDC’s tenure.

“Let the record show that as of December 2016, when the NDC left office, the project was only 40 per cent complete. After eight years in power, and despite commencing physical construction in 2014, the NDC could only deliver 40 per cent,” he said.

He credited the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration with significantly advancing the project after assuming office in 2017.

“It was the NPP administration that took this project from 40 per cent to 98 per cent by January 2025. The question Ghanaians must ask is: who really slept on this project?” he questioned.

Minority rejects US$85 million claim

Mr Amankwa-Manu also rejected a proposed US$85 million claim linked to the completion of the Afari Military Hospital project, describing the amount as unjustified.

He said the Minority would oppose any attempt to approve the claim and called for value for money in the management of public resources.

“We will fiercely resist this scheme. We demand value for money and will protect the public purse. The government must immediately abandon this unjustified US$85 million claim, pay the outstanding US$500,000 and ensure the contractor completes the remaining 2 per cent of the work without further delay,” he said.

The legislator further accused the government of attempting to use what he described as a “back-door approach” to facilitate payment of the claim.

“Any attempt to use the back door to pay this newly generated and unjustified amount of US$85 million can only be described by the popular Ghanaian phrase: ‘Create, Loot and Share’,” he alleged.

Mr Amankwa-Manu maintained that while the hospital remains critical to the Ghana Armed Forces and residents of the Ashanti Region, its completion must not come at the expense of prudent financial management.

“We all want the Afari Military Hospital completed and operationalised to serve the healthcare needs of the Ghana Armed Forces and the people of the Ashanti Region. However, this must not become a conduit for daylight robbery,” he said.