The Ministry of Finance has denied claims by the Minority in Parliament that the government has already spent GH¢636million on Agenda 111 even before it was launched on Tuesday, August 17, 2021.
In a press release issued by the Public Relations Unit, the Ministry admitted that in 2020, an amount of GH¢600million was released into to the Health Infrastructure Account at Bank of Ghana (BoG) to support the implementation of the District and Regional Hospitals Projects.
However, the Finance Ministry said contrary to the claims by the Minority in Parliament, the amount, which is equivalent to the $100 million announced for Agenda 111, has not been utilised yet.
“The said amount had been released into the project account at the BOG but not utilised yet. Project commencement has just begun. So far, only GH¢36million has been released as part of pre-construction mobilisation,” the statement dated August, 19, explained.
The statement further clarified that “following the commencement of actual project execution as evident in the sod-cutting ceremony of 17th August 2021, we expect to drawdown various amounts from the account which would be managed by the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund.”
The Ministry of Finance stated that as highlighted in the Mid-Year Review Statement, Agenda 111 is expected to be in two phases – Pre-Contract Works and Construction and Execution of projects.
This comes after the Minority in Parliament in a press release noted that Agenda 111, has already been backed with over GH¢600 million despite being launched on Tuesday, August 17, 2021.
The Minority added that as captured in the 2021 mid-year budget review, GH¢36 million was released for the payment of consultancy fees, design, project management and coordination.
But the Finance Ministry underscored government’s commitment to tackling Ghana’s health infrastructure deficit.
“In this regard, we will ensure the use of local teams comprising Ghanaian consultants, project managers and construction firms to execute the project and also ensure due process during procurement and disbursement,” the Ministry assured.
Read full statement below: