The Minority Caucus in Parliament has strongly condemned recent statements by the Deputy Minister for Defence, Ernest Brogya Genfi, describing them as a deliberate and fraudulent attempt to extract US$85 million from the public purse under the pretext of completing the Afari Military Hospital.
Addressing the press, the Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee and former Deputy Minister for Defence stated that the claims are not only factually wrong but represent a calculated scheme to siphon state funds.
“The narrative that the 500-bed Afari Military Hospital is only 60% complete is a complete fabrication,” he said. “Official records from the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) of the Ministry of Defence tell a different story. As of September 2024, the Core Hospital was 92.5% complete. By January 2025, the overall project had reached 98% completion under the previous administration.”
He provided a detailed breakdown of progress as of September 2024:
- Civil Works (Core Hospital): 97.5%
- Architectural Works: 87%
- Support Facilities (Staff Housing): 77% overall
- Roads and Landscaping: 80% and 77% respectively
These figures, he emphasised, show the project was nearly complete and ready for operationalization before the change of government.
The phantom debt
The Deputy Minister’s claim that contractor Euroget De-Invest (EDI) is demanding US$85 million before returning to site has no basis in official records at either the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Defence.
Financial facts presented by the Minority include:
- The original contract sum of US$180 million (Loan) has been fully paid.
- The additional US$19.3 million (Government of Ghana) for delays caused by earlier relocations has been settled in full.
- Out of a US$3 million negotiated claim (down from over US$6.5 million), US$2.5 million has been paid.
- The only outstanding amount is US$500,000.
“Jumping from US$500,000 to US$85 million is not just absurd mathematics — it is criminal intent,” the Minority spokesperson declared. “This is a manufactured crisis aimed at ‘create, loot, and share’.”
History of delays under NDC
The Minority further highlighted the chequered history of the project. Originally contracted in 2008 under President J.A. Kufuor for Sofoline in Kumasi, the project was repeatedly relocated by the NDC government after 2009 — first to Tamale, then Accra, and finally to Afari. These politically motivated changes caused a six-year delay and generated variation claims of US$36 million, later negotiated down to US$19.3 million.
“As at December 2016 when the NDC left office, the project was only 40% complete,” he noted. “It took the NPP administration to move it from 40% to 98% by January 2025. The question Ghanaians should ask is: who really slept on this project?”
Call for accountability
While the Minority Caucus supports the timely completion and operationalization of the Afari Military Hospital to serve the Ghana Armed Forces and the people of the Ashanti Region, they insist this must not become an avenue for corruption.
“We will fiercely resist any attempt to pay this unjustified US$85 million through the back door,” the statement read. “The government should immediately abandon this fraudulent claim, pay the legitimate outstanding US$500,000, and instruct the contractor to complete the remaining 2% of the work without further delay.”
The Minority urged the media to continue scrutinising the matter and called on the government to prioritise transparency and value for money in all public projects. They pledged to protect the public purse and ensure national infrastructure projects benefit ordinary Ghanaians rather than a few individuals.
The Afari Military Hospital saga continues to generate intense public debate as Ghanaians demand answers on how scarce resources are being managed.
