The Minority Caucus in Parliament has strongly defended the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) handling of the Afari Military Hospital project.
The group says official records do not support recent claims that little work was done on the facility during the administration of former President Nana Akufo-Addo.
According to the Minority, discussions about the 500-bed hospital should focus on documented facts and verified project records instead of political arguments. The hospital’s level of completion has become a major topic of debate.
The issue has gained increased attention because of concerns about healthcare capacity in the Ashanti Region, especially following recent challenges at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).
As a result, many people have questioned the current state of the Afari Military Hospital project.
In a statement supporting the NPP Policy Committee on Health, the Minority said project documents clearly show how the hospital developed over the years and highlight the progress made under different governments.
The Caucus explained that plans for the hospital began before the NPP came to power. Between 2008 and 2013, authorities reportedly considered several locations before selecting Afari in the Ashanti Region as the final site.
Construction work started in 2014 during the administration of former President John Mahama. However, the Minority said the project had reached only about 40 percent completion by December 2016.
The group argued that significant progress took place after the Akufo-Addo administration assumed office in January 2017.
Drawing from project records, the Minority stated that civil works on the main hospital facility had reached about 97.5 percent completion by September 2024.
The same records show that architectural works stood at 87 percent completion. Road infrastructure had reached roughly 80 percent, while landscaping and support facilities, including staff housing, were about 77 percent complete.
Based on these figures, the Caucus said the core hospital facility had achieved an overall completion rate of approximately 92.5 percent by September 2024.
The Minority further claimed that the overall project completion level rose to about 98 percent by January 2025. For that reason, it rejected recent claims that the project remains only 60 percent complete.
The exact completion rate has become one of the most disputed issues surrounding the Afari Hospital project. Government representatives and opposition figures continue to offer different assessments of its current status.
Some officials have argued that important biomedical and mechanical installations are still unfinished, affecting the hospital’s readiness for operation.
However, the Minority insists that the facility is largely complete and needs only limited additional work before commissioning.
The Caucus also addressed concerns about project financing and payments owed to contractors.
According to the Minority, the government fully paid the original contract amount of about US$180 million during the project’s implementation.
The statement added that authorities also settled an extra payment of approximately US$19.3 million. This amount covered claims linked to earlier challenges involving the relocation of the project.
The Caucus further revealed that the government negotiated an additional contractor claim of about US$6 million down to US$3 million. Before the previous administration left office, it reportedly paid US$2.5 million of that amount.
Using these figures, the Minority concluded that only around US$500,000 remained unpaid when power changed hands.
The group therefore rejected suggestions that the government still owes as much as US$85 million on the project, saying available records do not support such claims.
