By Rachel Quartey
Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has urged the NDC-led government to prioritise the completion and commissioning of Agenda 111 hospital projects, describing the initiative as a transformative national investment in healthcare infrastructure.
Speaking at the IERPP Lecture Series organised by the Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy in Accra, Mr Afenyo-Markin said Agenda 111 remains one of the most significant commitments to expanding healthcare access in Ghana’s history.
The lecture, held under the theme “The Centre-Right Impact on Ghana’s Political Landscape,” examined the influence of centre-right governance on national development.
Addressing participants, Mr Afenyo-Markin emphasised that Agenda 111 was a flagship health policy initiated by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government led by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The policy aimed to construct 111 district, regional and psychiatric hospitals across the country to improve healthcare access for underserved communities.
“Agenda 111 was a major commitment to build 111 district hospitals across the country, extending quality healthcare to communities that had lived without it for far too long,” he said.
He stressed that the absence of hospitals in many districts has far-reaching consequences beyond health.
“When there is no hospital in your district, illness is not just a health problem. It is an economic catastrophe. People lose working hours. Families spend money they do not have on transport to distant facilities. Communities become reluctant to attract investment,” he stated.
According to him, the initiative began “rewriting the geography of health access in Ghana” by bringing healthcare closer to communities and strengthening local economies.
“In all humility, I submit that to realise this dream, the current administration must do all within its power to continue these projects and ensure that they are commissioned. It is Ghana’s dream,” he added.
Mr Afenyo-Markin argued that such large-scale social interventions reflect the centre-right philosophy of combining infrastructure development with economic empowerment and improved living standards.
The programme was chaired by Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Chairman of the NPP Council of Elders, who commended the organisers for creating a platform for policy dialogue and ideological reflection.
Participants included members of the NPP, academics, students and representatives of civil society.
The IERPP Lecture Series forms part of ongoing efforts by the Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy to stimulate national conversations on public policy, democratic values and development priorities.
