Simon Osei-Mensah’s 2021 claims resurface amid fresh Afari Hospital controversy

A statement by then-Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, in 2021 claiming that the Afari Military Hospital was 90% complete has gone viral on social media, exposing what many see as years of stagnation on one of Ghana’s most prominent stalled infrastructure projects.

In a video shared on X by @obiMpenaAustine on June 10, 2026, the minister is heard assuring the public in 2021 that the 500-bed facility was nearly finished — the exact same “90% complete” figure contractors had reported back in 2016.

The side-by-side comparison has triggered widespread commentary online, with many Ghanaians questioning how the project could remain at the same progress level for five years.

Weeds take over Afari Military Hospital after gov’t ‘failed’ to operationalise it

A 2016 Daily Graphic report noted that contractors had completed 90% of the structural works on the main hospital buildings. Yet five years later, the assessment appeared unchanged.

The project, awarded in 2014 to Egypt’s Euroget De-Invest for a reported US$180 million, was originally expected to be completed within 42 months.

Successive governments have set and missed multiple deadlines.

The resurfaced ministerial statement comes just days after Members of Parliament’s Minority Health Committee visited the Afari site on June 10, 2026.

The MPs reported encountering resistance from security personnel, overgrown weeds, exposed building materials, and general signs of neglect and deterioration. Some MPs had to improvise access to inspect the facility’s condition.

Tears at Afari Hospital: Security woman breaks down as tensions erupt during MPs' inspection

The hospital was intended to ease pressure on facilities like Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) amid ongoing healthcare challenges in the Ashanti Region.

Meanwhile, the X post, which juxtaposes the 2016 and 2021 statements alongside a lengthy video clip from a radio discussion, has sparked widespread commentary.

Many users express disappointment at the apparent lack of progress on a major infrastructure project meant to serve both military personnel and civilians.

VKB/VPO

Tears at Afari Hospital: Security woman breaks down as tensions erupt during MPs' inspection