U.S. Breaks Ground to Improve Maternal and Child Health in Kumasi

Kumasi, Ghana – U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer joined Ashanti Regional Minister Hon. Simon Osei Mensah today to break ground for a new state-of-the art maternal and child center at the HopeXchange Medical Center in Kumasi.  The United States, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has invested $3.5 million in the HopeXchange Medical Center Ghana to date.

“A healthy start is the first step to a lifetime of good health,” said Ambassador Palmer. “In addition to the support to HopeXchange, every year, the United States invests over $12 million to improve the health and lives of mothers, babies, and children across the country.  This investment in quality maternal and antenatal care means healthier mothers and newborns,” she added.

The United States launched a Women’s Cancer Center at HopeXchange Ghana in 2019 that serves as a regional hub for medical training, research, and patient care to address public health priorities in sub-Saharan Africa.  The new maternal and child center launched today will include a labor and delivery suite, neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, inpatient and outpatient wards, and an adolescent clinic. The HopeXchange Medical Center serves approximately four million people.

The United States is Ghana’s largest bilateral development partner.  In 2023, our bilateral assistance totaled over $150 million dedicated to supporting health, economic growth and agriculture, education, governance, and security.

The HopeXchange Medical Center Ghana is a unique collaborative effort between the United States Government, Ghana’s Ministry of Health, the Christian Health Association of Ghana, Ghana Health Service, the Government and People of Malta, the Catholic Church of Ghana and Italy, Yale University, HopeXchange Foundation, and NGOs.

USAID’s support is made possible through the USAID American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (USAID/ASHA) initiative. These grants support schools, libraries, hospital centers, and centers of excellence across the world.  Since its inception in 1947, the USAID/ASHA initiative has supported 300 institutions globally, spanning across 28 U.S. Congresses and 19 U.S. Presidential administrations.