On Monday, October 19, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh announced that the Cabinet has approved a targeted investment in 35 district hospitals under the Agenda 111 project, with the aim of completing the facilities in phases.
Akandoh explained that the decision was made to concentrate resources on a manageable number of hospitals rather than spreading funding across all 111 projects at once. "Cabinet has approved to invest in 35 of the district hospitals under Agenda 111. So we are phasing them out. That was our position when we were in opposition. We thought that you can’t spread yourself too thin, and at the end of the day, you don’t do anything," he said during an interview with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV’s The Point of View.
He noted that about GH¢4.5 billion had already been spent on the project, arguing that the same amount could have finished approximately 20 hospitals if resources had been concentrated on fewer facilities. "You have spent about GH¢4.5 billion. This GH¢4.5 billion could have finished about 20 of them. So we think that we can go gradually. So we are investing in about 35. Some of these hospitals, the contractors are on site," he added.
In addition to direct government investment, Akandoh said the Ministry is engaging faith‑based healthcare providers, including the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, to identify hospitals they could complete, equip and operate. "Government will give them those facilities to finish, equip and then run, because after all, government pays their compensation for them. We have that kind of relationship," he said.
The minister disclosed that a second batch of between 30 and 35 hospitals is being prepared for completion through partnerships, and that further direct investment phases may follow after assessing progress on the initial 35 facilities.
Selection of the hospitals was guided by two main considerations: the level of completion and equitable distribution across Ghana’s 16 regions. "Two main factors: level of completion and fair distribution. For example, we have about 16 regions, so at least every region must have one or two," Akandoh explained. He added that a hospital with a lower completion rate in one region could be selected ahead of a more advanced facility elsewhere if that was necessary to ensure fair regional distribution.
The minister also reported that construction work has resumed on the Sewua Government Hospital after challenges involving road access, electricity, water supply and the installation of equipment were addressed. "We had issues about the road, we had issues about electricity, we had issues about water, we had issues about installation of some equipment. Now water solved, electricity is solved, road is solved. So the contractor is on site as I speak to you now," he said.
Looking ahead, the Ministry plans to monitor the progress of the 35 hospitals closely and may launch additional phases of direct investment once the initial batch is completed, while continuing to explore partnership models for the remaining hospitals.
