The long-running controversy surrounding the delayed completion and operationalisation of the Afari Military Hospital has entered a new phase, with the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie, vowing to pursue legal action against the contractor responsible for the project Euroget Group over what he describes as questionable contractual claims and escalating project costs.
The Effiduase-Asokore Member of Parliament says the debate over the hospital’s completion can no longer be reduced to partisan exchanges between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), insisting that attention must now shift to accountability and the protection of public resources.
Dr. Ayew Afriyie declared his intention to publicly challenge the contractor and present evidence that he believes will expose how public infrastructure projects are sometimes manipulated at the expense of Ghanaian taxpayers.
The latest development comes amid heightened political debate over the state of the 500-bed Afari Military Hospital in the Ashanti Region, a flagship health project that was expected to significantly ease pressure on the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and strengthen healthcare delivery in the middle belt of the country.
The contractor Euroget De-Invest is reportedly paid over $180million far more than the contract sum, a turnkey project.
The facility, which was initiated under the Kufuor administration in 2008 and continued by the John Mahama administration in 2014, has remained incomplete more than a decade after construction commenced, despite successive governments making payments and undertaking efforts to move the project toward completion.
In recent weeks, the project has become a major political issue following inspections by Minority members of Parliament’s Health Committee, who accused the government of delaying the operationalisation of critical health infrastructure while hospitals in the Ashanti Region continue to struggle with congestion and capacity challenges.
Government officials, on the other hand, have argued that the project faces complex contractual and financial challenges, including outstanding claims from the contractor, incomplete biomedical installations and issues relating to imported equipment.
Against this backdrop, Dr. Ayew Afriyie says he is preparing to redirect public attention toward the contractor’s role in the prolonged delays.
“I am using your medium to sound this clearly to contractors. I am going to take this contractor on next week. I am not going to do NDC, NPP again on this issue. So long as it is the responsibility of government to see to the operation of Afari, I have done that job,” he stated.
The lawmaker argued that public discourse has focused heavily on government responsibility while insufficient scrutiny has been directed at contractors who execute major state projects.
According to him, the Ghanaian public deserves to understand how contractual arrangements, claims and renegotiations can affect the final cost and completion timelines of large infrastructure projects.
Dr. Ayew Afriyie alleged that the contractor involved in the Afari Military Hospital project has already received substantial payments beyond the original contract value but continues to demand additional funds.
He claimed that the contractor had previously received payments amounting to more than US$21 million above the project’s original contract cost of approximately US$180 million.
The MP further alleged that despite these payments, the contractor is now seeking an additional amount estimated at about US$85 million through escalation claims and related demands.
According to him, such developments raise serious concerns about cost inflation and accountability in the management of public contracts.
“I would want the good people of this country to know how contractors checkmate the people of Ghana and fleece us. We will name the contractor and shame the contractor,” he declared.
The Ranking Member stressed that his planned action should not be viewed through a political lens, insisting that accountability must be enforced regardless of which political party is in government.
He maintained that Parliament and public officials have a responsibility to ensure that taxpayer funds are protected and that contractors are held accountable for their obligations under state contracts.
The comments add another dimension to the growing controversy surrounding the Afari Military Hospital, where competing narratives have emerged over the true level of completion of the project and the reasons for its prolonged delay.
While some government officials have recently argued that critical biomedical and mechanical components remain incomplete, opposition figures contend that the hospital is substantially complete and requires only limited resources to become operational.
