Story: Kofi Yeboah
CHINA NATIONAL CORPORATION FOR OVERSEAS ECONOMIC COOPERATION (CCOEC) collaborations with other Chinese companies have concluded arrangements with the Ministry of Health for the construction of a $1.12-billion relocation of the University of Ghana Medical School-Teaching Hospital on Legon Campus and Redevelopment of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CHINA NATIONAL CORPORATION FOR OVERSEAS ECONOMIC COOPERATION and MINISTRY OF HEALTH with the Master Plan for the University Of Ghana Medical School was concluded on December 15th, 2011.

The financiers, namely the China and Africa Fund Holding Limited, China National Corporation for Overseas Economic Cooperation (CCOEC), Huawei Technologies lead by the heads of the delegations (38+) Honorary Head Consulate Ms.Lorinda Liang, President of CCOEC Mr. Ma Zhi Wu, Chairman of China Africa Fund Holding Mr.Liu Yang, the management team of Huawei are also committed to upgrading 68 district hospitals into modern status to enhance health care delivery in the country.
The initiative also involves linking the 68 district hospitals electronically to the country’s teaching hospitals in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Cape Coast, for the purposes of relaying health problems in the districts to the teaching hospitals for redress.
The Chinese are also interested in building capacity at the proposed University of Allied Health Sciences in Ho in the Volta Region.




The medical complex project at Legon, which is expected to begin by June 2012 after Cabinet and Parliamentary approval, will be one of the biggest Chinese investments in the country’s infrastructural
development. More significantly, it will bring alive a 50-year-old dream of the University of Ghana authorities to move all of its medical educational institutions, including the University of Ghana Medical School founded 50 years ago from the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) to the Legon campus.

Apart from the construction of a few facilities such as the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and the School of Allied Health, the university had no clues as to how to put the 400-acre land meant for the medical complex to a better use until the Chinese investors came on board with a strong commitment to undertake the architectural designing and construction of the project. That expression of interest, perhaps, explained the excitement of the university authorities when they received a delegation from the four Chinese companies to the Legon campus on Monday to finalize arrangements and inspect the site for the project.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ernest Aryeetey, said the purpose of the meeting was to show the eagerness of the university to co-operate with the Chinese investors to develop the infrastructure of the university.
“We reaffirm our commitment to working with the Chinese government to make sure that we deliver what we are mandated to do”, he remarked. The Board Chairman of the KBTH, Professor A. S. Ayettey, lauded the Deputy Minister of Health, Mr. Robert Joseph Mettle-Nunoo, for playing a key role in the initiative, adding that the project would enhance the government’s “Better Ghana” agenda. On behalf of the delegation, Honorary Head Consulate for Overseas Economic Development of the China National Corporation For Overseas Economic Cooperation, China and Africa Fund Holding Limited, Ms. Lorinda Liang, promised a fast-track execution of the project once it was approved by the Cabinet and Parliament. She called for the co-operation of all partners to ensure the success of the project.