New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority Caucus in Parliament has strongly condemned recent statements by the Deputy Minister for Defence, Mr 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.
Mr Brogya Genfi recently announced that the contractor Euroget De-Invest (EDI) is demanding US$85 million before it will return to site and complete the hospital project.
However, speaking at a news conference in Parliament on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, the Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee and former Deputy Minister for Defence, Mr Kofi Amankwa-Manu, stated that the claims are not only factually wrong but represented a calculated scheme to ‘create, loot and share’ state funds.
He maintained that only US$500,000 remained outstanding to the contractor and has described the alleged US$85 million demand as inaccurate.
“The Deputy Minister’s assertion that the contractor, Euroget De-Invest (EDI), is demanding US$85 million before returning to the site is a manufactured crisis. Let the facts be clear: no records at the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Defence support this outrageous claim,” Mr Amankwa-Manu who is also the MP for Atwima-Kwanwoma reiterated.
According to him, financial records of the project showed that the original contract sum of US$180 million, secured through a loan arrangement, had been fully paid.
He said additional funding of US$19.3 million negotiated by the government of Ghana over delays associated with the project had also been fully settled.
“The negotiated additional funding of US$19.3 million (Government of Ghana) for delays caused by the NDC’s misguided relocations has been fully paid,” Mr Amankwa-Manu stated.
The former Deputy Minister for Defence further explained that from a subsequent US$3 million claim, which was negotiated down from more than US$6.5 million, US$2.5 million had already been paid.
He said the only outstanding amount owed the contractor was US$500,000.
Mr Amankwa-Manu questioned why the outstanding balance had allegedly been linked to a much larger figure of US$85 million.
“To jump from an outstanding balance of US$500,000 to a sudden demand for US$85 million is not just mathematically absurd; it is criminal,” he emphasised.
Mr Amankwa-Manu warned against any attempt to approve what he described as a newly generated and unjustified claim.
“Any attempt to use the back door to pay this newly generated, unjustified amount of US$85 million can only be described by the popular Ghanaian cliché: ‘Create, Loot, and Share,'” he stressed.
The Minority, he further cautioned, will resist any move that did not represent value for money and accountability in the management of the project.
“We will fiercely resist this scheme. We demand value for money, and we will protect the public purse. The government must immediately abandon this fraudulent US$85 million claim, pay the outstanding US$500,000, and ensure the contractor completes the remaining 2% of the work without further delay,” he warned.
Scope of work
The former Deputy Defence Minister also dismissed the narrative that the 500-bed Afari Military Hospital is only 60% complete.
“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,” Mr Amankwa-Manu pointed out.
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.
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, according to the Minority, 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. 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 operationalisation 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 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,” Mr Amankwa-Manu stated.
By Kyei Boateng
