Akufo-Addo’s legacy? Here are the facts about the 15 polyclinics built in Central, Greater Accra Regions

Leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, in an interview on ChannelOne TV on July 20, said Ghanaians will appreciate the leadership of President Akufo-Addo after he leaves office.

He argued that contrary to the public’s view of the President and his government’s underwhelming performance, they have chalked remarkable achievements in all sectors of the economy.

Gabby Otchere-Darko, who described the government’s performance as unprecedented in the history of the Fourth Republic, mentioned the construction of 10 polyclinics in the Central Region and another five in the Greater Accra Region as some of the exceptional achievements of the government.

“They have constructed and equipped 10 polyclinics in the Central Region; Ajumako Besease, Gomoa Dawurampong, Biriwa, Etsii Sunkwa, Bimpong Akunfude, Gyamera, Ekumfi Naakwa and Gomoa Potsin,” he stated in the interview aired on August 13, 2024.

 “Five polyclinics have been constructed and completed in Accra; Ogbojo Adentan, Ashaiman, Bortianor, Oduman and Sege. These were commissioned for use in May 2019.”

But what are the facts behind the construction of these health facilities?

In this report, Fact-check Ghana outlines the facts about the initiation, construction and completion of the 15 projects.

Initiation of 15 polyclinics

In August 2014, the then government led by President John Dramani Mahama announced Cabinet’s approval of an amount of €37 million for the building of 15 polyclinics in Central and Greater Accra Regions.

A statement said to have been signed by then Minister for Communications, Dr Omane Boamah, had indicated that 10 of the polyclinics were to be sited in communities in the Central Region while 5 would be constructed in the Greater Accra Region.

The intended beneficiary communities, according to the 2015 Budget Statement, were Gomoa Dawurampong, Besease, Biriwa, Etsii Sunkwa, Asikuma Gyamera, Agona Duakwa, Bimgpong Akunfude, Ekumfi Naakwa, Twifo Atimokwa, and Gomoa Potsin, all in the Central Region and Adentan (Ogbojo). The remaining communities were Ashaiman, Bortianor, Oduman and Sege, also in the Greater Accra Region. (pg. 117).

Construction of 10 polyclinics in the Central Region

The Government of Ghana under the Mahama administration signed a loan facility agreement with Raiffeisen Bank International AG, Vienna Austria “for the construction and equipping of 10 polyclinics in the Central Region”. The loan agreement was approved by Parliament on December 1, 2015. Subsequently, VAMED Engineering was contracted to design and execute these projects. The 2016 Budget captured the 10 polyclinics as projects to be undertaken in that financial year.

In May 2016, President Mahama cut sod for the commencement of construction works on the projects that were scheduled to be executed within 24 months (See here and here).

Former Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu announced, at a press conference on September 19, 2019, that the projects had been completed and commissioned in August 2018. (See here).

This was also captured in the government’s Update on Capital Investment Projects (2017 – 2020).

Construction of 5 Polyclinics in Greater Accra

Government, on June 1, 2016, sought parliamentary approval for an export credit facility totalling €13.5 million granted by Unicredit Bank Austria, A. G to finance the construction and equipping of the 5 polyclinics in the Greater Accra Region. With a 37.08 percent grant component, the facility was also meant to train health personnel.

The Finance Committee of Parliament, in its report recommending approval of the loan agreement by the House, stated, “the Hon. Deputy Minister of Health (Dr. Victor Bampoe) indicated that the benefits expected upon successful completion of the project include the provision of quality health care to the people of Adentan, Ashaiman, Bortianor, Oduman and Sege and their environs”. The loan agreement received parliamentary approval on June 28, 2016.

According to the 2017 Budget Statement and Economic Policy presented to Parliament on March 2, 2017, by Ken Ofori-Atta, then Minister of Finance, the construction of the 5 polyclinics was to continue in 2017, indicating that works on the projects had already started.

The projects were executed by Vamed Engineering KG & Co GmbH and completed in 2019, according to the 2020 Budget Statement and Economic Policy.

The Oduman Polyclinic in the Ga West Municipality was inaugurated by former Minister of Health Kwaku Agyemang-Manu in early June 2019 while the Sege, Ashaiman and Ogbojo (Adentan) Polyclinics were commissioned in late June 2019.

From the above, it is evident that the 15 health facilities were initiated by the Mahama administration. Construction works also began before the Mahama government left office in January 2017. The Akufo-Addo government continued the work and completed them in 2019.

The projects, therefore, cannot be solely credited to the current NPP administration as Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko sought to portray.