Gov't scales back Agenda 111, prioritises 35 hospitals
Ghana's Cabinet has approved plans to complete only 35 Agenda 111 hospital projects, prioritising facilities based on need, completion level and regional distribution.
The Ghanaian government has announced that it will discontinue most of the flagship Agenda 111 hospital projects launched by the previous administration, opting instead to complete only 35 facilities under a new phased strategy.
The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, told Parliament on Wednesday that Cabinet had approved the decision after reviewing the nationwide hospital programme.
Agenda 111, introduced under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was designed to build hospitals in districts without major health facilities, alongside regional and specialised hospitals.
Mr Akandoh said the government had concluded that completing every project simultaneously was not financially sustainable and would instead prioritise 35 facilities based on their level of completion, regional balance and local healthcare needs.
"We are supposed to phase them out and so Cabinet has taken the decision to invest in the first 35 districts or facilities," he told lawmakers.
He said the selected projects would ensure that every region benefited from at least one completed hospital, while government would also strengthen its partnership with the Christian Health Association of Ghana to improve healthcare delivery.
The announcement marks a significant shift in one of Ghana's largest healthcare infrastructure programmes, which was launched to address long-standing shortages of hospital facilities across the country.
Mr Akandoh also addressed concerns over delays in opening the Children's Specialist Hospital, saying the ministry was still waiting for the contractor to hand over the project.
He attributed the delay partly to procurement issues identified by the World Bank during construction and said some medical equipment had yet to be installed.
According to the minister, the Ministry of Health has already recruited the hospital's full complement of staff and could begin operations within 24 hours once the contractor completes the outstanding work and formally hands over the facility.
He said officials are expected to meet the contractor on 10 July to resolve the remaining issues after the contractor requested to attend the discussions in person.
The decision to scale back Agenda 111 reflects the government's broader effort to prioritise public spending amid fiscal constraints, while focusing on projects it says can deliver healthcare services in the shortest possible time.