Afari Military Hospital: Debunking NPP propaganda and the false narrative

Yesterday, members of the Minority on Parliament's Health Committee visited the Afari Military Hospital and attempted to hold a press conference to create the impression that the facility is "near completion" and that the current NDC government is simply delaying its operationalisation.

The optics were carefully crafted: opposition MPs touring a construction site, pointing at unfinished walls, and implying that if the NPP under Nana Addo had remained in power, the hospital would already be functioning.

This narrative is propaganda. It is misleading, historically inaccurate, and deliberately ignores the full timeline of the project. It twists facts to score cheap political points at the expense of truth and public understanding.

Below is a factual breakdown that exposes these claims as false.

1. The Afari Military Hospital Was Initiated and Nearly Completed Under the NDC, Not the NPP

The Afari Military Hospital was never an NPP idea or priority. It was conceived, designed, funded, and pushed to over 80% completion during the NDC administration from 2009 to 2016, under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama.

As part of the NDC's comprehensive plan to expand healthcare access and improve medical services for both military personnel and surrounding civilian communities in the Ashanti Region, the project was awarded, construction commenced, and major structural works—including the main hospital blocks, wards, administrative sections, and basic infrastructure—were substantially completed before the 2016 general elections.

Records from the Ministry of Defence and the Ghana Armed Forces from that period indicate that the project was far advanced and on track for full completion and commissioning by 2017, had the NDC remained in office.

The NPP inherited a nearly completed project—not a concept, not an abandoned site, but a facility that required only final finishing works, equipment installation, and staffing to become operational.

2. The NPP Stalled the Project for Eight Years

Despite the hospital being near completion in late 2016, the NPP government under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo allowed it to sit idle, gathering dust and deteriorating, for eight long years.

No meaningful work was carried out on the site between 2017 and early 2025. Budgets for the project were repeatedly reduced or completely removed, contractors were left unpaid, and critical equipment orders were either cancelled or never placed.

In a public statement in March 2025, former NDC Minister for Defence, Dr. Omane Boamah, stated:

"When we handed over power in January 2017, Afari Military Hospital was over 80% complete. We had already procured most of the structural materials and were in the process of securing medical equipment. The NPP did nothing with it for eight years. They abandoned it, and today they have the nerve to turn around and blame us for delays."

This eight-year period of neglect is the single biggest reason the hospital is not fully operational today. The NPP did not build it, did not complete it, and did not maintain it. They only remembered it now that they are in opposition, purely for political gain.

3. The Minority's Visit Was Political Theatre, Not an Honest Assessment

Yesterday's tour by the Minority was not a sincere effort to oversee healthcare infrastructure or hold the government accountable. It was a carefully staged political event designed to create misleading visuals and soundbites.

If they were truly concerned about the hospital's completion, why did they not visit or publicly discuss it during their eight years in power? Why did they not allocate funds, follow up with contractors, or take steps to operationalise it when they had full control of the national budget, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ghana Armed Forces?

Their sudden interest today is hypocrisy of the highest order. They are pointing to unfinished sections that remain incomplete because of their own eight-year neglect and attempting to shift the blame onto the very government that has now moved to revive the project they abandoned.

4. The NDC Government Has Taken Concrete Steps to Reset and Complete the Project

Since returning to office in early 2025, the NDC government has made the completion and operationalisation of the Afari Military Hospital a key priority. Unlike the NPP, it has taken practical and measurable steps to advance the project:

Conducted a comprehensive technical audit of the site to assess the damage caused by eight years of abandonment and identify the remaining works.

Re-engaged the original contractors and supplementary service providers while clearing outstanding arrears owed to them—arrears the NPP failed to pay.

Secured funding specifically for final finishing works, the installation of medical equipment, and staff training.

Resumed construction work in mid-2025, with progress continuing consistently and without interruption.

Within just over one year in office, the NDC government has achieved more on this project than the NPP did in eight years. It remains committed to ensuring that the hospital becomes fully functional and delivers quality healthcare services before the end of its term.

5. The NPP's Claim That It "Always Continues NDC Projects" Is a Cover for Its Own Failures

The NPP has repeatedly claimed that it always continues projects initiated by the NDC, while the NDC allegedly abandons NPP projects upon returning to power. This narrative is false and serves as an attempt to conceal the party's own poor record.

The reality is different.

The NPP has often abandoned, delayed, or neglected projects initiated by the NDC, only to later rebrand them and claim credit. Afari is just one example. The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital expansion, the Eastern Corridor Road, and several district hospital projects were all initiated or significantly advanced by the NDC, yet suffered years of neglect under the NPP administration.

By contrast, when the NDC returns to office, it reviews ongoing projects, addresses mismanagement, eliminates wasteful expenditure, and works to complete projects for the benefit of Ghanaians. It does not play politics with national development.

The claim that the NPP consistently continues NDC projects is therefore little more than a cover for its own failures. The party failed to complete many inherited projects, failed to initiate enough meaningful new ones, and now seeks to rewrite history.

6. The True Lesson: Afari Shows NPP Incompetence, Not NDC Failure

The story of the Afari Military Hospital is not evidence that the Nana Addo administration performed better or was more committed to development. Rather, it illustrates what critics describe as incompetence, a lack of vision, and disregard for the healthcare needs of people in the Ashanti Region and across Ghana.

Had the NPP continued the work inherited in 2016, the hospital would have been operational for years, saving lives, creating jobs, and strengthening Ghana's military health system.

Instead, the project was neglected while resources were directed elsewhere.

Today, the only reason significant work is taking place at Afari is because the NDC government has returned to office, revived the project, secured funding, and resumed implementation.

Conclusion: Reject the Propaganda, Accept the Facts

The NPP's narrative that the Afari Military Hospital demonstrates its superior performance is, according to its critics, unsupported by the project's actual history.

The facts, they argue, are straightforward:

NDC: Conceived the project, funded it, and brought it close to completion.

NPP: Left it unfinished for eight years and failed to make it operational.

NDC (2025–present): Revived the project, secured funding, resumed work, and is moving toward completion.

The Minority's visit was politically motivated and intended to create the impression that the NPP performed better in delivering development. Citizens should instead evaluate the project based on documented timelines, available records, and the performance of both parties.

Afari is not a story of NDC failure. It is, supporters argue, a story of NPP neglect and an example of how the NDC seeks to revive and complete projects it considers important to national development.

Bright Honu-Nudokpo

Former NDC Deputy Youth Aspirant and NEC Member Hopeful