Agenda 111: Ghana shouldn’t rejoice over a dream – Joseph Yamin

A former Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, under the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, Joseph Yamin, said government’s plan to build 111 hospitals across the country is a failed dream.

According to him, the ruling party thinks their dreams are an achievement and cited the Agenda 111 project as one of such dreams.

“It is only the NPP that will rejoice at a dream. They don’t look at the pros and cons of their dream. Ever since the President won election 2020, he has not done anything to grace the Ashanti Region.

The project being launched in the region will only end up bringing disgrace to us. When you plan to do something and it is not realized, that is a failed agenda. I am surprised the NPP is not doing a thorough analysis of the project,” he stated.

He noted that the $100million released for the commencement of the project will not be enough to even complete the preliminary construction stages. “They say 88 hospitals will be funded by the government and the rest will be constructed from loans that will be acquired later on and meanwhile these projects are supposed to be finished in 12 months.”

To him, it is not smart to start a project for which you have not secured full funding. “The NPP is just trying to create the impression they are doing something and working on a project they have no funding for,” he stated.

The politician believes if the $100 million is shared equally for the commencement of Agenda 111, each project will get about 900,000 dollars as mobilization. “This amount cannot even complete 2 percent of the project and if the government is unable to secure funding, later on, these hospitals will end up engulfed with weeds.”

Joseph Yamin added that it will be cruel on the part of the government to even ask contractors to pre-finance the project, as they (government) already owe them over 30 billion.

He charged the government to rather focus on completing existing hospital projects. “This ambitious program is good for the country but what has happened to uncompleted hospitals taken over by weeds? The President promised the people of Kumawu $5 million to complete a hospital which is 70 percent complete. What is going to happen to the many such projects?” he asked.

The former deputy Ashanti Regional Minister giving the government the benefit of doubt asked, “Even if we finish these hospitals, do we have the human capacity to man these hospitals? President Akufo Addo and the NPP are playing with the sensibilities of Ghanaians.”

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as part of measures to mitigate the impact of the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, today, Tuesday, August 17, 2021, broke grounds for the commencement of the construction of hospitals under the government’s Agenda 111 initiative.

The project is part of a grand vision for Ghana’s healthcare sector by the Akufo-Addo administration, the realization of which will ensure that 101 outstanding districts will be provided with hospitals in addition to 10 selected regional and specialized hospitals.

The President personally observed the commencement of works at Trede in the Ashanti Region with other contractors in other districts expected to commence work afterward.

He said Agenda 111 is programmed to take 12 months to complete from the commencement of each unit, with a funding of $100 million from the government through the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).