Political scientist and University of Ghana lecturer Dr Joshua Zaato has urged the government not to walk away from the stalled Agenda 111 hospital projects, despite the financial irregularities flagged by the Ghana Audit Service.
Speaking on the AM Show, Dr Zaato acknowledged that those found to have misused public funds must be held accountable and the money recovered. But he was clear that the policy itself should not be scrapped. In his view, completing the hospitals would transform healthcare delivery and create much-needed jobs.
“By all means, retrieve the money and punish the perpetrators,” he said. “But let’s put those funds back into finishing the projects. If we wake up one day and these hospitals are completed, healthcare delivery in this country will improve massively.”
His comments come on the back of an audit report revealing that the Ghana Audit Service has surcharged 35 contractors in an effort to recover $7.9 million—about GH¢94.6 million—linked to unexecuted or poorly executed works under the Agenda 111 programme.
According to the report, contractors received mobilisation fees to work on 19 hospital sites. Of the $11.16 million paid out, work carried out was valued at just $5.96 million. In another instance, 11 companies were paid $4.35 million for inception works valued at only $2.49 million, leaving $1.92 million unaccounted for before their contracts were terminated.
The auditors noted that some contractors never moved to site after receiving payment, while others completed less than 10 per cent of the work, despite being paid between December 2021 and December 2024.
Even so, Dr Zaato insists the bigger picture should not be lost.
“Right now, thousands of nurses are waiting to be posted,” he said. “If these hospitals are completed, they can be posted there—and that is real job creation.”
He added that many allied health professionals are also unemployed and would directly benefit once the facilities become operational.
Dr Zaato further pointed out that many Ghanaians still have to travel long distances to access basic healthcare, a challenge he believes Agenda 111 was designed to fix.
“My point is simple: let’s not sacrifice the policy,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where it came from.”
Agenda 111, introduced by the previous administration, was designed to bridge gaps in healthcare access through the construction of district hospitals, regional hospitals and specialised health facilities across the country.