By Eugene Nyarko Jnr.—
The Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has dismissed claims by former Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, that the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration did no work on the Afari Military Hospital project during its eight years in office.
Responding to public discussions generated by Mr. Agyapong’s recent comments, Mr. Ahiagbah described the assertion as inaccurate and lacking the full facts regarding the status of the project.
According to him, while Mr. Agyapong is widely known for his frank and outspoken style of communication, his remarks on the Afari Military Hospital were made without complete information on the progress achieved under the previous administration.
“Kennedy Agyapong is straightforward and speaks his mind. However, on this occasion, he clearly did not have the full facts about the project’s status at the time he spoke,” Mr. Ahiagbah stated.
He explained that when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia assumed office in 2017, the hospital project was approximately 40 per cent complete. He said by the end of their administration on January 7, 2025, the project had reached 98 per cent completion.
Mr. Ahiagbah noted that this represented an additional 58 percentage points of progress under the NPP government, surpassing the level of work completed before 2017.
Providing a breakdown of the project’s status at the time of handover, he said civil works on the core hospital structure stood at 97.5 per cent completion as of September 2024, architectural works were 87 per cent complete, roads had reached 80 per cent completion, while landscaping works stood at 77 per cent.
He further indicated that only about two per cent of the overall project remained outstanding, with an estimated cost of approximately US$500,000 required to complete and operationalise the facility.
Mr. Ahiagbah urged critics not to use Mr. Agyapong’s comments to obscure what he described as the current government’s responsibility to complete the project and make it available for public use.
He maintained that the facts demonstrate substantial progress was made on the Afari Military Hospital under the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration and expressed confidence that Mr. Agyapong would acknowledge this if presented with the full details of the project.
“The Ghanaian people deserve facts, not propaganda,” he stressed.
The Afari Military Hospital, located in the Ashanti Region, is expected to enhance healthcare delivery and provide specialist medical services upon completion and commissioning.
