Agenda 111 lacks planning and transparency – Bright Simons

Policy analyst and vice president of IMANI Africa Bright Simons has launched a scathing critique of Ghana’s Agenda 111 project, describing it as a wasteful and expensive initiative that lacked proper planning and accountability.

The ambitious project touted as a response to healthcare gaps highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic aimed to construct 111 hospitals and clinics nationwide.

However, Simons has questioned the government’s true intent and execution of the initiative.

According to Simons, the project was rushed under the guise of pandemic preparedness, despite no prior budgetary provisions in the government’s medium-term expenditure framework.

“The government used COVID-19 as a pretext to embark on a massive hospital and clinic building spree even though no budgetary provisions had been made for such,” he wrote.

He further criticized the lack of involvement from the Health Ministry, which he claimed was sidelined in strategic decision-making.

As a result, there are no clear plans on how the new facilities will be stocked, staffed, or maintained, leaving their long-term sustainability in question.

Simons also pointed to irregularities in the contracting process, alleging that the project was centralized within the Office of the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, bypassing usual government protocols.

“Favoured contractors were handpicked and blessed with the juicy multibillion-dollar opportunity,” he remarked, naming Ghanaian architect Adjaye and luxury estate developer Buena Vista as beneficiaries.

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