President Mahama bemoans 12-year delay in completion of UHAS laboratory complex

President John Dramani Mahama has bemoaned the delay in the completion of the laboratory complex at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), noting that the project, which began in 2014, took 12 years to complete.

President Mahama made the remarks while inspecting the newly completed multi-purpose laboratory project on the UHAS Sokode Campus, as part of his Resetting Ghana tour of the Volta Region.

“I do not really know where to start because this is a project that began in 2014, and we are now in 2026. That means this project has taken 12 years to complete,” he said.

He said the project should ideally have been completed within its original timeframe, but delays had pushed it well beyond the expected completion period.

 “Ideally, this project should have been completed within the original timeframe set for its delivery. Unfortunately, delays have caused it to go beyond the expected completion period,” he said.

President Mahama said one of the consequences of such delays was that the project ended up costing far more than it would have if completed on schedule.

“One of the consequences of such delays is that the project will now cost much more than it would have if it had been completed on schedule. If we had completed this project on time, we would have spent far less resources in bringing it to completion. But as they say, better late than never,” he explained.

Despite the delay, President Mahama expressed satisfaction with the outcome, describing the facility as probably the biggest laboratory complex in the sub-region.

He said the complex included a laboratory designed to support pathogen research and vaccine development, similar to the work done at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, which would work closely with the National Vaccine Institute to strengthen the country’s health security.

He said the completion of the facility represented an important step towards his vision for UHAS to become a centre of excellence in the sub-region, strong in innovation, research and the development of solutions that respond to the needs of Ghana and Africa.

Richard Aniagyei, ISD