President Akufo-Addo has conceded that the time frame for which his government was expected to construct all hospitals under the Agenda 111 project, was ambitious.
The president made this known on the floor of parliament on Wednesday, March 30, 2022 during the State of the Nations Address.
“Agenda 111 is an ambitious project, which must and will be done”, he said.
In August 2021, President Akufo-Addo cut sod in the Ashanti Region to commence the building of hospital projects, which were scheduled to be completed in 18 months across the country.
However, he hinted that the time frame allocated to the project was limited.
“Mr. speaker, I have to report that, like all major construction projects it is evident that the initial schedule we gave for the completion of Agenda 111 was overly ambitious. Identifying suitable sites around the country, for example, has turned out to be even more problematic than had been anticipated.
“I am able to say that a great deal of the preparatory work has now been completed, and work has started at 87 of the 111 sites. I have assured that preliminary work on the remaining 24 sites is ongoing“, he added.
According to the president, his government is bent on seeing the project through to a successful end, which will enable him to commission all the 111 hospitals before he leaves office on January 7, 2025.
He added that, the Agenda 111 will create many job opportunities for health workers. “Agenda 111 will create some 33, 900 jobs for construction workers, and on completion, some 34,300 jobs for health workers,” he said.
He further explained that, the government remains committed to its responsibilities to the Ghanaian people.
“The difficulties of the time notwithstanding, we intend to continue to grow this economy and bring prosperity. That will only happen when we continue to invest in the future.” He said.
The Agenda 111 project is part of the vison by the Akuffo -Addo administration to enhance the Ghana healthcare.
The project is expected to provide 101 hospitals to the outstanding districts and also provide additional 10 selected regional and specialized hospitals.
