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Abandoned projects: Ghana’s monument to neglect (Part 3)
In many communities in Ghana, hope for development is like a good breakfast but a bad supper. Projects start very enthusiastically and continue at breakneck speed, evoking great joy.
With bated breath, the beneficiary communities believe that the next big thing is about to happen for them. They think that the eel’s hope of becoming a whale is about to materialise.
But their expectations are dashed before long. The projects are halted, and their hope of landing a dream project proves to be, after all, a mere dream.
These projects are what I call Ghana’s monument to neglect, a phenomenon that is a very damning indictment of the failures of successive governments.
The first part of this article featured the $200 million Saglemi Affordable Housing Project at Prampram in the Greater Accra Region comprising 5,000 residential units.
The NDC initiated it, completed 1,500 units, and handed them over to the NPP government but none has been allocated because the NPP suspects malfeasance in the deal.
Last week, the KNUST Teaching Hospital project at Boadi, near the university’s main campus took centre stage. The project was begun in 2008 to train more health professionals, bridge the gap between the demand and supply of critically needed staff, and ease the pressure on the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
But lack of funds left it abandoned for over a decade until work resumed recently. The first phase is expected to be completed in October this year.
In this final instalment, the white elephant in focus is the $2.4 million Youth Sports Centre project at Ho in the Volta Region, comprising a FIFA standard football pitch, an eight-lane athletic track, tennis, basketball, and handball courts among other facilities.
The 10,000-seater project took off in March 2018 and was due to be completed in February 2019 but, reports say it has been abandoned midway.
A press release circulated in February by the NDC said the project site had become a grazing field for cattle and a hunting ground for grasscutter.
Even bigger neglected projects abound but were not prioritised in this article, either because they have been resumed or have been shelved.
Among the resumed projects is the $180 million state-of-the-art, 500-bed capacity military hospital at Afari in the Atwima-Nwabiagya District of the Ashanti Region.
Conceived in 2008 by former President J. A. Kufuor and approved by Parliament in November the same year, the original site was Sofoline in Kumasi.
But a protracted dispute caused the location to be changed three times, from Sofoline, to Tamale after the NDC came to power in 2008, to the 37 Military Hospital before finally landing at Afari.
For six whole years, it got stalled until 2014, when the land at Afari was prepared for actual work to start in 2015. In fact, a sod was cut at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra and work began before further bickering finally relocated the facility to Afari.
The work in Accra had to be stopped but not without great cost. The contract stipulated that if the site changed, the contractor must be compensated. The company demanded about $36 million but the Government negotiated and reduced it to $19 million. The Government hesitated in paying and the contractor slowed down work, further delaying the project.
Thus, due to somebody’s thoughtless negligence, crass laxity, gross dereliction of duty, and lack of due diligence, we had to cough up a whopping $19 million in punitive cost. That money could have been used to provide eight regions with the type of youth centre designed for Ho.
Indications are that all the physical infrastructure such as the administration block, staff quarters, medical and surgical blocks, have been completed. Installation of equipment is on-going with inauguration anticipated to be in December this year.
Another category of deprioritised stalled projects deals with those which suffered a stillbirth, those that were dead on arrival. One such project that would have been a game-changer is the aborted $2.6 billion sky train project, an elevated railway system spanning 194 kilometres with a capacity to transport 400,000 passengers per year within Accra.
At independence in 1957, the population of the capital, Accra, was just 250,000 but it has exploded to its current level of over six million. The project, was, therefore, expected to decongest traffic drastically in the city, boost economic activity and reduce pollution due to unhealthy vehicular fumes.
Most of the works such as the fabrication and construction were to be done in Ghana to create about 5,000 jobs for Ghanaians during the implementation phase scheduled to begin by January 2020.
The South African investment partners, Ai SkyTrain Consortium, were said to have conducted feasibility studies at their own expense to kickstart the project, paving the way for the signing of an agreement on Thursday, November 8, 2018, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Ghana’s Railway Development Minister at the time, Mr. Joe Ghartey, signed for the country, saying: “The economics of this project are good. We are very excited about the prospects,” with President Nana Akufo Addo by his side.
All was set for the project to start in earnest, but, alas, that was not to be. Mr. Peter Amewu, the new railways minister argued that the project was too expensive.
Can you believe that after all the fanfare and economic benefits, the same government chickened out of the deal because of the cost? Are we serious? If not now, when? Some people would argue that given the dire straits in which Ghana finds herself, the new minister was right. I beg to differ.
A wealthy Nigerian, Mr. Omololu Onabanjo, who graciously hosted me while I was on a visit to his country some time ago, told me, with some anguish in his voice: “Tony, Africa has a long way to go.”
I kept pondering over his statement thinking that because he schooled in the UK for a long time, he had become so anglicised as to despise his own continent.
After a while, he came back to me and said: “Listen, I have thought about what I told you and I have realised that we don’t have anywhere to go.”
Clarifying his point, he said: “The people we are chasing are out of sight. They negotiated the development curve ahead of us a long time ago. We don’t see their back. How then can we follow them to where they have reached?”
Who said we are broke? The simple truth is that we cannot eat our cake and have it. When we do not prioritise and cut our coat according to our size, where do we expect to get the money to fund a capital-intensive but ultimately profitable venture like the sky train project?
When we waste money uselessly on emoluments, a situation worsened by bureaucratic obesity, how can we prioritise feasible projects like the Ho youth sports centre? If we scrap ex-gratia alone, we can build such centres in all the regional capitals.
If you will not do it, do not promise on your honour to do it. Do not build castles in the air. If you cannot complete it, do not start it at all and waste our scarce resources.
But, if it is a game-changer like the sky train, why chicken out? If we fail to take bold and pragmatic steps to develop our country now, we would continue to linger far behind while others reach for the stars as Mr. Onabanjo said.
Where was Singapore when Ghana was blossoming under the inspiring leadership of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah? Now, Singapore which gained its independence in 1965, eight years after Ghana’s, is the richest country in Asia and among the world’s top ten economies in terms of its GDP per capita. It is the only Asian country to attain a higher per capita GDP than the US by every measure.
It took a combination of free enterprise, social interventions like quality mass education, affordable healthcare, cheap transportation, capital accumulation not dissipation, and strong-willed leadership by Lee Kuan Yew to transform Singapore into the economic power it is today.
One time he told his people without mincing words that he was on a mission, and anyone who would withstand him, would have himself to blame.
That is what I call leadership. Paul Kigame of Rwanda is manifesting similar traits despite the political turmoil and the disruptions of war he inherited.
With his no-nonsense style and refusal to be pushed around by any Western godfather, he is doing for his country what Nkrumah wanted to do for Ghana.
Akufo Addo must take a cue from Nkrumah and Kagame and transform Ghana into the haven she is destined to be. He must not just hire; he must begin to fire as well.
By Tony Prempeh
Contact: teepeejubilee@yahoo.co.uk
Walk into any supermarket in Accra, Kumasi, or Tamale today, and you will see the modern Ghanaian diet packaged as ‘progress.’ You will see breakfast cereals with cartoon mascots, fruit drinks that are mostly sugar and colour, and snacks promising energy and happiness in bright fonts.
Even products loaded with salt and unhealthy fats often wear a health halo labeled as fortified or natural, while the real nutritional risk is hidden in tiny print on the back. This is not just a consumer inconvenience; it is a public health blind spot. Ghana is living through a silent surge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension, diabetes, and stroke.
These conditions quietly drain household income and steal productive years. According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, NCDs are now responsible for nearly 45 per cent of all deaths in Ghana.
We cannot build a healthy nation on a food environment designed to confuse people at the point of purchase. Ghana must mandate simple front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL) on high-sugar, high-salt, and high-fat packaged foods because consumers deserve truth at a glance, and industry must be pushed to reformulate.
Why Back-of-Pack Labels Are Not Enough
In theory, consumers can read nutrition panels. In reality, most Ghanaians shop under pressure, limited time, rising prices, and children tugging at their sleeves. The back label is a relic that requires a high cognitive load to interpret—essentially, the seller knows what is inside, but the buyer cannot easily tell.
This ‘information asymmetry’ is not fair. It is not consumer choice when the information needed to choose well is deliberately difficult to find.
Simple warning labels like the black octagons used in the Chilean Model act as a ‘stop-and-think’ nudge. They do not ban products but they simply tell the truth so people can decide.
Reshaping Our Food Environment
A generation ago, Ghana’s meals were mostly home-prepared, like kenkey and banku with soups and stews. Today, ultra-processed foods have become the norm, especially in urban areas. Children are growing up with sugary drinks and salty snacks as everyday items, not occasional treats.
If Ghana is serious about prevention, we must act where decisions are made—thus, the shelf. Warning labels protect parents from sugar traps and pressure the market to improve. When warning labels are mandatory, manufacturers start to compete to make healthier recipes to avoid the stigma of the label.
Addressing the Pushback
Industry will argue that labels create fear or that education alone is enough. However, health education is slow; labels work immediately. While the informal street food sector is a challenge, regulating pre-packaged goods is the practical starting point because the supply chain is traceable. We cannot wait until the whole system is perfect; we must start where action is feasible.
A 2026 Implementation Roadmap for Ghana
To move from talk to action, Ghana needs this 5-step plan:
- Issue mandatory regulation: The Ministry of Health, Food and Drug Authority (FDA), and Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) must define the label format and nutrient thresholds for all pre-packaged foods.
- Simple, bold symbols: Use plain language and clear symbols, such as “HIGH IN SUGAR,” designed for busy families, not experts.
- Transparent thresholds: Adopt technically defensible standards adapted to the Ghanaian diet.
- Transition and enforce: Provide a 12–18 month period for manufacturers to reformulate, followed by firm enforcement at ports and retail centers.
- National literacy campaign: The Ghana Health Service must pair labels with public messages explaining why high salt or sugar increases disease risk.
Conclusion: Truth Is Not a Luxury
Prevention is cheaper than treatment. A warning label costs little compared to the price of dialysis, stroke rehabilitation, or lifelong diabetes complications. A black octagon on a box of biscuits is more than a label; it is a shield for the health of all Ghanaians. It is time to put the truth where we can see it, right on the front.
By Abigail Amoah Sarfo
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Natives of the Kenkey Kingdom were mad with joy. They were still recovering from the hangover of the kingdom’s loss of the African Cup when their spirits were rekindled. Their great warrior, Zoom Zoom, stormed Melbourne and made sure that every Australian refused food. And that was after he had drawn contour lines on the face of their idol, Jeff Fenech.
Not only did the terrible warrior transform Old Boy Jeff’s face into a contour map useful for geography lessons, but he also accomplished the feat of retaining the much-envied super-kenkeyweight title against all odds. The warrior had not been eating hot kenkey for nothing.
The Fight Against Fenech
When Jeff Fenech bit the dust in the eighth round, I was tempted to consider if Adanko Deka could not have faced him in any twelve-rounder, title or non-title bout. Adanko has improved tremendously, and soon he would be facing Pernell Whitaker.
Sincerely, I was pessimistic about Azumah’s man, who the last time took him through twelve grueling rounds of rough boxing. I expressed my fears to my colleague Christian Abbew, alias Gbonyo, who surprisingly had total confidence that the Australian brawler would fall, predictably in Round Five.
Gbonyo gave reasons for his contention, all of which I counteracted using the age factor. Fact is, I didn’t know that contrary to the laws of nature, Azumah was all the time growing younger.
When Fenech fell briefly in round one, I asked my brother whether it was the same Fenech that fought Azumah in Las Vegas. Sure, it was the same Fenech, all out to beat Azumah before his countrymen.
But the African Professor had no intention of making the Australian a hero. As he spun round the desperate Aussie, dancing and stinging out his jabs, it was not too long before I realized that the end was near.
The Eighth Round Showdown
Two minutes into the eighth round, the African ring-master proved to the whole world that he was a true son of Bukom. He himself was cornered, but like the tough nut he is, he managed to break free before overwhelming the panting Australian with several blows that made him crash headlong.
Moments after, the referee, expressing fatherly sympathy, stopped the fight to prevent an obituary. After the ordeal, Fenech’s fairly handsome face was full of newly constructed hills, valleys, ox-bow lakes—whatever. I noticed that his nose was very tired and had a miniature volcano sitting restlessly on it. Obviously, Jeff’s wife will have to nurse that nose back to its normal shape—but I’d advise her not to use iodine, otherwise her dear husband will wail like a banshee.
Reflections on Boxing
Because Mohammed Ali was the kind of boxer kids liked, many school-going kids often entertained the wish of becoming like him. I remember one day when I told my father I wanted to become a boxer, and he advised me to first complete my education to the highest level. Then, if I decided to become a boxer and was knocked out a couple of times, I’d fall back on my degrees and make a living.
Boxing used to be interesting when bouts were fought more with the mouth and tongue than with gloves. You had to brag well, psychologically belittling your opponent before beating him up physically. Mohammed Ali became a very successful pugilist because he also managed to become a poet. He often blew his horn across America, calling himself the “pretty boxer” and opponents like Joe Frazier “the gorilla.”
Ali made a living fighting hard fists like Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Jerry Quarry, George Foreman, Leon Spinks, and Trevor Berbick. Twice he came back from retirement to fight just for money. It was Larry Holmes who finally pensioned him, and since then the great Ali has never been himself.
The Path Ahead for Azumah
When Azumah nailed Jeff Fenech on the cross and barked almost immediately that he was after the head of Pernell Whitaker, I was happy but concerned. I would have been happier if he had announced his resignation there and then—he would have been more of a hero. Beating Fenech in Australia is more newsworthy than facing Whitaker in the States.
With Whitaker, it might be a little difficult. The “Sweet Pea” is agile, has a crooked body like a snake with diarrhea, and stands awkwardly as a southpaw. He is known for having the fastest pair of fists and the rare ability to dodge punches no matter how close they may be.
Much as I do not doubt that Azumah can take his title, I also don’t want him to retire beaten. I want him to retire as a hero and live a fuller, healthy life.
As Azumah himself said after dishing Fenech, he is now a professor and has something to show for it. Like a true professor, I think it is time he resigned and took up training young talents who could draw inspiration from him and become like him in the future.
Closing Thoughts
I must say that although ageing boxers like Larry Holmes and George Foreman are making a name for themselves, boxing is not like the Civil Service, where you can even change your age and retire at 74. Zoom Zoom has delighted the hearts of the natives, and Sikaman will forever hold him in high esteem—but only when he retires as a hero.
This article was first published on Saturday, March 7, 1992.
