Outspoken Ghanaian politician and former Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Interior, Kennedy Agyapong, has launched a blistering critique against partisan political blame games, calling on Ghanaians to put national interest above party loyalty regarding stalled infrastructure projects.
Speaking to journalists, Agyapong expressed profound frustration over the handling of the Afari Military Hospital project in the Ashanti Region, pointing out the hypocrisy of political factions shifting blame depending on who is in power.
Stalled Inspections and Political Blame
Recalling his time as head of the defense committee, Agyapong revealed that attempts by lawmakers to conduct oversight on the long-delayed medical facility were actively blocked.
“I was the Chairman for Defense and Interior,” Agyapong stated. “When we decided to go and inspect Afari, they stopped us. We didn’t go.”
The hospital project, which has faced numerous delays across successive administrations, recently sparked fresh debate over timelines. Agyapong dismissed the defense mechanisms of partisan commentators who complain about the current administration’s slow pace while ignoring years of previous stagnation.
“I heard somebody talking about fifteen months. That Afari Hospital has been there for fifteen months? You were there for eight years, you didn’t do it! Don’t blink your eye,” he warned an interviewer.
Critical of Both Sides
Refusing to shield his own party, the ruling New New Patriotic Party (NPP), from scrutiny, Agyapong insisted that true accountability requires calling out lapses regardless of party affiliation. He argued that Ghana can only progress if citizens and leaders hold both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the NPP to the same standard.
“See, we are not doing politics. I’m speaking the truth, this is Ghana. Stop that,” he emphasized. “We will criticize NDC, we will criticize NPP. That’s the only way to go.”
Agyapong turned his attention to the historical timeline of the Afari project, noting that the initiative spanned across governments, yet neither side successfully crossed the finish line within their full terms.
“NDC started this, why didn’t you complete it? You were there for eight years, you didn’t complete it. When somebody comes for fifteen months, then you have a problem? Please, give me a break,” he said.
A Call to Put Ghana First
Concluding his remarks, Agyapong urged a fundamental cultural shift in how Ghanaians engage with national development, stating that obsessive partisanship is actively harming the country’s growth.
“Ghana, we should love our nation and stop playing politics with everything, and do the right thing for the country. And that is what I’m doing,” Agyapong concluded.
Observing the reaction of the media crew on-site, he added with a touch of characteristic bluntness: “You see, when I mentioned NPP, he was blinking his eye. Why do you want us to criticize NDC and leave NPP?”
