President John Dramani Mahama has directed Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson to make provision for GH¢300 million in the 2027 budget to construct 250 apartments for police officers to ease congestion in their barracks.
The proposed housing project forms part of the government’s broader efforts to improve the welfare of police personnel and provide better living conditions for officers.
Speaking at the commissioning of the ultramodern 85-bed ward complex at the Ghana Police Hospital on Tuesday, October 13, President Mahama said the investment in police accommodation would complement other measures to strengthen the service’s operational capacity and protect its personnel.
“I’ve requested the Minister of Finance to provide GH¢300 million in the 2027 budget to construct 250 new apartments for the police to ease congestion in some of your barracks,” he said.
Part of a Broader Housing Agenda
The allocation is part of the government’s flagship Big Push Agenda, under which a Singaporean construction firm has been commissioned to build housing units for the Police Service, Prisons Service, Fire Service, and the Ghana Armed Forces.
The partnership followed a Memorandum of Understanding signed during President Mahama’s official visit to Singapore in 2025 to establish a prefabricated housing manufacturing facility in Ghana. The company’s first major project in Ghana is the construction of a 10,000-bed hostel at the University of Ghana, and it is now expanding to provide housing for security personnel across the country.
President Mahama previously urged police leadership to identify suitable lands within existing barracks for immediate development. “Start identifying lands within your barracks so we can move quickly to provide adequate accommodation for our police officers,” he directed at the Police Service End-of-Year Gathering in January 2026.
The police housing intervention comes amid a national housing deficit estimated at 1.8 million units. The government has separately announced plans to allocate GH¢1 billion in the 2027 budget as its contribution to a GH¢3 billion revolving National Housing Fund to support affordable housing across the country.
Police Hospital Expansion and GH¢200m Allocation
At the same event, President Mahama directed the Minister of Finance to allocate more than GH¢200 million in the 2027 budget to complete the expansion project at the Police Hospital. The expansion is expected to add 106 beds to the hospital’s existing capacity, taking the total to more than 300. It will include a 12-bed Intensive Care Unit, a magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scan equipment, as well as a new accident and emergency centre, 11 consulting rooms, four paediatric consulting rooms, three general surgical theatres, an orthopaedic theatre, an endoscopy unit, and a mortuary with a capacity of 222.
President Mahama said Cabinet had decided to terminate the contract for the expansion project after 22 years of delays, prolonged disagreements, and cost overruns involving the contractor. “Our contract has been going on for 22 years. We have finally brought it to an end. We’re going to complete it ourselves,” he said. The government intends to complete the expansion and put the facilities into service before the end of 2027.
New Ward Complex Commissioned
The newly commissioned 85-bed ward complex, named the Christian Tetteh Yohuno Ward Complex after the Inspector-General of Police, raises the hospital’s total bed capacity to 205. It includes separate male and female medical and surgical wards, as well as dedicated male and female paediatric wards — the first of their kind at the hospital since its establishment about 50 years ago. The complex is also equipped with diagnostic and patient-monitoring equipment, an in-house laboratory, a pharmacy, an elevator, administrative offices, and parking space for approximately 50 vehicles. A welfare shop has also been provided to serve patients and other users of the facility.
Established about five decades ago primarily to serve police officers and their dependants, the Police Hospital has since expanded its services to the general public, particularly in emergencies. It also receives accident victims, officers injured in the line of duty, unidentified persons, and victims of violent crimes and sexual abuse.
IGP Christian Tetteh Yohuno said the new complex marked a significant step towards improving healthcare for police personnel. “This landmark facility marks a major step in standardising health as a fundamental human right for the Ghana Police Service. This principle matters because officers’ ability to protect life and property depends largely on their physical and mental well-being,” he said. He also disclosed that the approximately 100-bed Tamale Police Hospital had been completed and equipped, extending investments in police healthcare beyond Accra.
Two ambulances were handed over to the hospital to support emergency response and patient care.
Armoured Vehicles and Body Armour
Beyond housing and healthcare, President Mahama announced plans to strengthen the operational capacity of the Ghana Police Service through additional armoured vehicles and protective equipment. He said a second batch of 40 armoured vehicles was expected to be delivered in the coming weeks, following the handover of 50 vehicles to the service in December 2025.
The President also disclosed that the government was procuring additional body armour to enhance the safety of officers deployed on operational duties. The Interior Ministry has secured a €50 million facility from BNP Paribas to purchase 1,110 pick-ups and saloon cars, 100 heavy motorbikes, 1,000 walkie-talkies, two cabin patrol cutters, ballistic vests, protection helmets, bulletproof vests, ballistic plates, and four speed interceptor boats for the newly established Maritime Unit.
President Mahama said the housing and security interventions, alongside the expansion of the Police Hospital, were intended to improve officers’ welfare and enable them to perform their duties more safely and effectively.
Police Performance Commended
At the commissioning ceremony, President Mahama commended the Ghana Police Service for its efforts to improve public safety, noting a decline in unresolved murder cases and highway robberies. He praised the police administration and urged officers to sustain their efforts to protect lives and property.
