More information has emerged concerning the controversial award and execution of the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS) contract.
The fresh information raises serious questions about procurement processes, value for money, and the handling of sensitive patient data under the former Akufo-Addo government.
According to reports from Lightwave Technologies Ghana Limited, the contractor behind LHIMS entered Ghana’s health system through a pilot phase in 2016 during President John Mahama’s first administration.
After the change of government in 2017, the incoming Health Minister, Kweku Agyeman-Manu, swiftly signed a full-scale contract worth US$100 million, bypassing competitive tendering procedures.
Sampson Djaba, a brother of former Gender Minister Otiko Afisa Djaba and a cousin of President Mahama, was the contractor behind Lightwave.
It has also been revealed that Agyeman-Manu, during his time as the chaired of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee used administrative authority to fast-track the deal, ignoring procurement rules that would have ensured competition and value for money.
The arrangement, which was touted as a national health digitalisation milestone that sought to link all public health facilities’ to a digital network and enable perfect retrieval of patient records, has been underwhelming.
US$77 million out of the agreed US$100 million contract sum has been paid to Lightwave, yet a substantial number of public health institutions remain unconnected to the system.
Also, many Public hospitals continued to operate on separate networks; additionally, private healthcare facilities, which were also supposed to be included, were basically left out.
However, former Health Minister Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye approved a final payment of US$10 million to the contractor at the tail end of the Akufo-Addo administration.
Okoe-Boye has since been pushing the Mahama government to pay the remaining amount to Lightwave.
A post by Ghana Chronicles stated, “Industry observers say the failure to implement the digital health infrastructure, despite heavy expenditure, underscores governance lapses at the Ministry of Health and raises suspicions about political patronage.
Sources within the health sector also recount a curious episode involving a former head of a major government hospital in Cape Coast, Asare, who initially criticised the Lightwave system but allegedly reversed his stance after being summoned to Accra by senior officials”.
Following the return of President John Mahama, the project’s future remains uncertain, as the system remains incomplete despite significant public investment.
However, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has fired back at allegations that he demanded a 23 per cent commission from the contractor of the LHIMS.
According to the Health Minister, the claims as baseless and absurd.
Speaking on Adom TV’s Badwam morning show, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh stated, “He can go to hell and say what he wants. What’s important is that I do the job I was given”.
“Why would I offer to sign a service maintenance agreement if I was going to ask for a commission? It doesn’t even make sense,” he added.
Mr Akandoh explained, “The service maintenance agreement is completely different from an extension. I never demanded a commission. If someone is determined to destroy me, they will lie, but it won’t work”.
“This guy insulted me on the streets of New York, head-on. Not everything we hear or see should be believed”, the Health minister recounted a tense confrontation with the vendor at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
See the post below:
JUST IN: Fresh details have emerged regarding the controversial award and execution of the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS) contract, raising serious questions about procurement processes, value for money, and the handling of sensitive patient data over the… pic.twitter.com/HwYXBKxGvA
— Ghana Chronicles (@_GhChronicles) November 5, 2025