The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, has announced the Afari Military Hospital and the Sewua Regional Hospital will be commissioned this year.  

He spoke to the media about projects undertaken in the Ashanti region by Nana Akufo-Addo's government, pointing out why some of the projects had not been commissioned, including the 500-bed Afari Military Hospital and the 250-bed Sewua Regional Hospital. 

“Sewua is complete. What we’re waiting for is the access road but the contractor is at an advanced stage,” he said. “We know he’ll complete within the next few weeks.”

“For Afari,” he said, “we were having some challenges with the sewage system. Now, they’ve completed that so we can also commission that.”

He asserted the commissioning of the hospital projects had to be done “as soon as possible”.

“It’s possible some of the warranty period for the equipment might elapse. And if that happens and we start using them and there are defects, we’d have to find money to go buy new ones and that’s what we need to avoid,” he explained.

Concerning the commissioning dates, he said he had spoke to President Nana Akufo-Addo.

“I'm in discussions with the presidential advisor on health, Dr Nsiah Asare, the minister of health, and the defence minister - I have to speak to the defence minister about the Afari Military Hospital. We're all preparing to find a suitable date and commission these two projects,” he added.

However, Mr Simon Osei Mensah said the completion and commissioning of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Maternity & Children's Block and the Kumasi Central Market Redevelopment projects will most likely be done in 2025.

Furthermore, Mr Simon Osei Mensah stated Nana Akufo-Addo's administration had outperformed every government since 1992, including the administration led by former New Patriotic Party (NPP) leader President John Agyekum Kufuor.