Cocoa farmers, patients and consumers paying price for governance failures – CDM

The Centre for Democratic Movement (CDM) has accused government of presiding over growing governance failures that are worsening hardship for cocoa farmers, patients and ordinary consumers.

At a press conference on Monday, the group’s Convenor, Samuel Doku, said Ghana was facing “a dangerous pattern of institutional inefficiency, weak coordination, delayed governance response, and administrative inertia” that threatens public confidence in the state.

The group identified three major concerns driving the crisis — the continued closure of the Weija Paediatric Hospital, worsening cereal and staple gluts amid food insecurity pressures, and deepening hardship within the cocoa sector.

According to the group, the issues expose deeper structural weaknesses in governance rather than isolated policy failures.

“Today, Ghana is confronted not merely by isolated policy difficulties, but by a dangerous pattern of institutional inefficiency, weak coordination, delayed governance response, and administrative inertia,” the statement said.

The group reserved its strongest criticism for the continued closure of the Weija Paediatric Hospital.

“Nothing captures the contradiction of our governance system more painfully than the current situation surrounding the Weija Paediatric Hospital,” it stated.

CDM described the facility as a reportedly completed and equipped specialist children’s hospital that remains inaccessible due to procurement disputes, financial disagreements, and administrative delays.

“This is unacceptable,” the group declared.

“At a time when many Ghanaian families struggle to access specialised paediatric healthcare, the continued closure of such a critical facility represents not merely an administrative lapse, but a moral and governance failure with direct human consequences.”

The organisation said allegations of procurement inflation and overpricing surrounding the project were “deeply disturbing” and demanded urgent independent scrutiny.

“The people of Ghana deserve answers. Development partners deserve accountability. Taxpayers deserve transparency. And above all, our children deserve access to healthcare,” the statement added.

The group also criticised delays affecting Agenda 111 health facilities across the country, warning that stalled and non-operational hospitals undermine public trust and weaken confidence in state institutions.

“A completed hospital that remains closed is not infrastructure development; it is administrative paralysis,” CDM stressed.

The organisation further called for a full national audit of Agenda 111 and related health projects, publication of funding and completion reports, and definite timelines for stalled facilities.

CDM also demanded an independent forensic audit into the procurement controversy surrounding the Weija Paediatric Hospital.

“Only an independent forensic audit can establish the truth,” it stated.

The group urged government to publish all procurement and contract documents linked to the project and establish an independent dispute-resolution mechanism involving both government and the contractor.

“The welfare of Ghanaian children must never become collateral damage in bureaucratic inefficiency,” the statement concluded.

المصدر: MyJoyOnline (GH)