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Gov’t requires $1.7 billion to complete Agenda 111 projects – Mahama reveals
Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama says his administration will require a whopping $1.7 billion to complete the unfinished Agenda 111 hospital projects initiated by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo-led administration.
President Akufo-Addo launched the Agenda 111 project on Tuesday, August 17, 2021. The project covers the construction of 101 district hospitals and six regional hospitals in the newly created regions.
The Agenda 111 hospital projects in Ghana were scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024. However, only 21 out of the 111 hospitals are said to have been completed so far.
Addressing some members from the Christian Council during a meeting in Accra, President Mahama bemoaned that nearly 90 of the hospitals remain uncompleted, with some lacking even the most basic medical equipment.
“The previous government started Agenda 111 but has not been able to finish the hospitals. There are so many of them unfinished. Even the ones they commissioned don’t have a single bed. Now we need $1.7 billion to complete the Agenda 111 projects,” he stated.
President Mahama, as part of his administration’s efforts to ensure the completion of the remaining projects without further delays, has proposed a partnership with religious organisations to support the completion of some of the stalled projects.
He has therefore called on interested religious bodies to take on the uncompleted hospitals, complete them, and manage them to ensure that healthcare services reach more Ghanaians.
According to him, the government will not construct new hospitals in areas that have existing healthcare facilities even if the facility is a mission hospital. Additionally, what his government intends to do is to equip the existing healthcare facilities to meet international standards to serve more citizens within the catchment of the facility.
“If the missions already have a hospital in an area, we are not coming to compete with them by building another one. Instead, we will use resources to improve mission hospitals so they can better serve the community,” he reiterated.
However, President Mahama has reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that all Agenda 111 hospitals are completed and fully equipped to meet the healthcare needs of the country.
Source: gbcghanaonline.com
Ghana’s Free Primary Healthcare (FPHC) Programme, launched in April 2026, is one of the most significant health policy shifts in recent years. By removing user fees at the primary care level, it promises to bring essential services closer to communities, especially women and children. For nutrition, the potential is huge. But potential alone does not save lives. Implementation will determine impact.
A question many Ghanaians are rightly asking is: how does FPHC relate to the existing National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS)? The FPHC is not a replacement for the NHIS, but a complementary intervention. At the primary level, at health centres and polyclinics, everything is free of charge, and no NHIS card is required. Only a Ghana Card or proof of residency is needed to access care. The NHIS will now redirect its focus toward secondary and tertiary care, including specialised treatments under the Ghana Medical Trust Fund. For referrals to districts, regional, or teaching hospitals, a valid NHIS card will still be required. In simple terms, FPHC fills the gap the NHIS left at the community level, extending care to those previously excluded because they lacked an insurance card or the means to pay.
What the Policy Covers
The FPHC Programme is designed to eliminate user fees at the primary healthcare level, covering services at Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds, health centres, and polyclinics. For nutrition, the implications are direct and meaningful. The programme includes antenatal and postnatal care, pregnancy nutrition education, breastfeeding support, child feeding guidance, growth monitoring, immunisation, and non-communicable disease (NCD) screenings.
The rollout begins in 150 underserved districts with plans of nationwide expansion between 2026 and 2028. Over 350 container-based service points have been positioned in high-traffic areas such as markets and lorry parks, bringing services closer to communities. Every Ghanaian will be entitled to at least one free basic health screening per year.
Why This Matters for Nutrition
For too long, cost has been one of the biggest barriers keeping mothers from attending antenatal clinics, getting nutrition counselling, and having their children weighed and monitored. A mother in a remote village should not have to choose between feeding her family and seeking healthcare for her child. The stakes are significant. Nearly one in five Ghanaian children under five is stunted, and over a third of pregnant women are anaemic. These are not statistics from a distant past; they reflect what is happening today, in communities where financial barriers have long kept families from the care they need. This policy, if implemented effectively, removes that impossible choice.
Identifying malnutrition early gives children a far better chance of recovery and survival. A child identified as wasted or stunted at six months has a far better chance of recovery than one identified at two years. If implemented well, the FPHC Programme could significantly improve early detection and prevention of malnutrition.
The Question of Implementation
Public health analysts have raised legitimate questions about sustainable financing and whether Ghana’s already-stretched health workforce can deliver on these promises. The WHO Director-General praised the initiative and noted it brings Ghana closer to universal health coverage. But praise is not delivery. Expanding access without ensuring quality and consistency risks overpromising and underdelivering.
For the FPHC Programme to truly benefit nutrition, services must be reliably available in all implementing districts. Health workers must be equipped and supported to deliver nutrition care. Nutrition must be treated as a core service, not an add-on and progress must be tracked and publicly reported.
Nutrition advocates must watch this policy closely, push for nutrition services to be fully integrated into implementation, and hold leaders accountable for ensuring that the women and children who need these services most are reached.
Because in public health, success is not measured by policies launched, but by lives improved.
Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Ghana: Advocating for Increased Leadership to Combat Malnutrition project
Parliament of Ghana has passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, widely known as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
The bill was passed after it was read for the third time on the floor of Parliament.
The legislation seeks to criminalise activities related to LGBTQ practices in Ghana.
However, lawmakers introduced amendments to exempt some professionals from punishment under the law.
The exemptions cover legal practitioners, media professionals and health workers who provide services to persons identified as LGBTQ.
During proceedings in Parliament, the First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Bernard Ahiafor who was in the chair
announced that the bill had been duly read for the third time and passed.
Supporters of the bill say it is intended to promote what they describe as Ghanaian family values and cultural norms.
The proposed law has generated public debate both within Ghana and internationally, with some groups supporting it while others have raised concerns about human rights and freedoms.
The bill is expected to go through the necessary constitutional processes before it can take effect as law after the President’s assent.
By: Jacob Aggrey
