Agenda 111: Work ongoing at 87 sites - Finance Minister

Construction work has commenced and at various stages of completion in 87 out of the 111 sites earmarked for the Agenda 111 project, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister of Finance, has said.

He said, “with the majority of the contractors at various sites, we are well on course to bridge the health inequality gap and strengthen the health system nationwide.”

Mr Ofori-Atta made this known when he delivered the Mid-Year Review Budget in Parliament on Monday, in Accra.

He said other health infrastructure projects, including the construction of one district hospital and five polyclinics in Western Region, the expansion and equipping of four selected facilities at Aburi and equipping of Upper East (Bolgatanga) Regional Hospital, Phase II, were expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

The Finance Minister said the timely intervention by the government during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic preserved the lives and livelihood of Ghanaians.

“The economic measures staved-off a recession and have sustained the momentum of economic recovery from 0.5 percent in 2020 to 5.4 per cent in 2021.”

He said, “last month I provided a comprehensive update on COVID-19 expenditures to this House. I welcomed your directive to the Committees of Finance and Health to further understand the expenditures incurred by MDAs under COVID.

"To complement this accountability process, I have also requested the Auditor-General to audit the COVID-19 expenditures in line with its statutory obligations.”

He said the COVID-related expenditures had to be met, because: “They saved lives and promoted inclusive growth. The impact of these interventions will certainly transcend the momentary challenges we face.”