The Minority in Parliament has pushed back against claims that previous governments neglected the Afari Military Hospital project, instead accusing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of causing significant delays during its time in office.

Addressing a press briefing in Parliament, Deputy Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, Kofi Amankwa-Manu, argued that decisions taken by the NDC after assuming power in 2009 disrupted the implementation of the project and slowed its progress.

According to him, the hospital project was initiated in 2008 under the administration of former President John Agyekum Kufuor and was originally planned for Sofoline in Kumasi.

Mr. Amankwa-Manu alleged that after the NDC took office, the project underwent multiple location changes, moving first to Tamale, then Accra, before eventually being sited at Afari in the Ashanti Region.

He claimed the repeated relocation of the project contributed to substantial delays and increased costs, resulting in compensation claims from the contractor.

According to the Minority MP, the contractor initially sought an additional US$36 million due to the delays, although the amount was later reduced through negotiations to US$19.3 million.

Mr. Amankwa-Manu further contended that progress on the project remained limited throughout the NDC administration.

He stated that by the time the NDC left office in January 2017, the facility was approximately 40 percent complete despite construction activities having commenced several years earlier.

The lawmaker credited the subsequent New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration with accelerating work on the project, claiming that completion levels rose significantly between 2017 and 2025.

According to him, the project had reached about 98 percent completion by January 2025.

He therefore rejected suggestions that previous administrations failed to prioritise the hospital, arguing that available records point instead to delays that occurred under the NDC government.

The comments come amid renewed debate over the status, management and completion of the Afari Military Hospital project, with both the Minority and government officials offering differing accounts of its implementation history.