The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has defended its record on the construction of the Afari Military Hospital, insisting that the previous administration substantially advanced the project and rejecting claims that no work was done during its eight years in office.

‎In a statement issued on Wednesday, the party's Director of Communications, Richard Ahiagbah, responded to recent comments by former Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong, who reportedly stated that the New Patriotic Party administration did "zero work" on the Afari Military Hospital project.

‎Ahiagbah described attempts to use Agyapong's remarks to criticise the former government as "political mischief," while suggesting that the former lawmaker did not have the full details of the project's status when he made the comments.

‎"Kennedy Agyapong is straightforward and speaks his mind. But on this occasion, he clearly did not have the full facts about the project's status at the time he spoke," Ahiagbah said. 

‎According to him, the Afari Military Hospital project was about 40 per cent complete when former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia assumed office in 2017.

‎He claimed that by January 7, 2025, the project had reached 98 per cent completion, representing an additional 58 per cent progress under the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration.

‎Ahiagbah further detailed the project's status at the time of handover, stating that the core hospital's civil works were 97.5 per cent complete as of September 2024, while architectural works stood at 87 per cent, roads at 80 per cent, and landscaping at 77 per cent.

‎He maintained that only about two per cent of the work remained, estimating that approximately $500,000 would be required to complete the facility and make it operational.

‎"The current administration under President John Dramani Mahama only needs to commit to completing the remaining work and begin saving lives," he said.

‎The NPP communications director also argued that Kennedy Agyapong's comments should not be used to shield what he described as the current government's non-performance, insisting that the Ghanaian public deserves "facts, not propaganda."

‎Sompaonline.com/Bismarck Oppong