President John Dramani Mahama has strongly criticised the previous administration of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over the implementation of the Agenda 111 hospital project, describing the decision to begin construction on all 111 hospitals at once as poorly planned and financially unsustainable.

Speaking during a meeting with the Northern Regional House of Chiefs on Friday, May 15, 2026, before leaving for Geneva on an official engagement, President Mahama said the project should have been executed in phases rather than all at once.

“When the Agenda 111 hospitals… I don't think it was a very prudent idea to start 111 hospitals at the same time. At least they should have been phased out,” he stated.

The President expressed concern about the pace and quality of work on many of the projects, noting that while some hospitals had only reached foundation level, others had stalled completely despite contractors receiving mobilisation funds.

“With some of the projects, people took the mobilisation and never went to the site,” he disclosed, adding that the government is actively pursuing such contractors to recover funds and ensure accountability.

“EOCO is going after them,” he assured the chiefs, signalling that legal and administrative action is underway against defaulting contractors.

Despite criticising the management of the initiative, President Mahama stressed that his administration remains committed to completing the hospitals so that communities across the country can benefit from improved healthcare services.

He revealed that the government has reviewed the programme and decided to prioritise 35 hospitals that are close to completion.

According to him, additional allocations will be made in the next national budget to support the phased completion of the remaining projects.

President Mahama also announced plans to collaborate with faith-based health institutions to help complete and operate some of the facilities.

“We’re also inviting faith-based organisations that run hospitals to adopt some of the hospitals that they think they can complete and bring into operation,” the President said.

The Agenda 111 initiative was introduced as a nationwide healthcare infrastructure programme aimed at expanding access to quality medical care.

However, the project has faced growing criticism in recent years due to delays, abandoned sites, and concerns over rising costs, forcing the current administration to adopt a phased completion strategy and seek partnerships to revive the stalled projects.

NA/MA