Controversial Ghana Ambulances Handed To National Security For Refurbishment

Thirty ambulances at the centre of a long-running dispute over whether they were fit for purpose have been handed to National Security for refurbishment and possible integration into Ghana’s national emergency response fleet.

The vehicles, which have been parked for several years at the Ghana Air Force Base at Burma Camp in Accra, were formally transferred at the weekend by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the National Ambulance Service (NAS).

National Security will oversee the refurbishment process. However, the ambulances must first undergo further technical and roadworthiness checks before any are approved for operational deployment.

The National Ambulance Service said the handover followed legal clearance from the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice. That clearance authorised the Ministry of Health to retrieve the vehicles and assess whether they could be brought into service.

In a statement issued on Saturday, 15 August 2026, NAS said an initial assessment had already been carried out by the State Transport Company (STC). Further inspections will establish the condition of the vehicles and determine the scale of work required to make them operational.

The Service said the move was part of government efforts to recover and restore available emergency response assets, strengthen the operational capacity of NAS and improve access to timely pre-hospital emergency care across the country.

The keys to the 30 ambulances were presented to a representative of National Security, which will supervise the refurbishment.

Once the work is completed, each vehicle will be subjected to the required technical inspections and roadworthiness assessments. Only those cleared through that process will be considered for use.

NAS said the addition of the refurbished vehicles, if certified for service, would provide a significant boost to the emergency ambulance fleet. It is expected to improve the Service’s ability to respond to medical emergencies and transport patients safely and promptly.

Those present at the handover included the Legal Adviser to the Minister for Health, Abubakar Mutiu-Rahaman; the Board Chairman of the National Ambulance Service, Nana Baffour Kotei Kutin Sraman II, the Bremanhene; the Chief Executive Officer of NAS, Dr. George Kojo Owusu; and representatives of National Security and the Ghana Armed Forces.

Dispute over ambulance condition

The ambulances were procured under a contract signed in 2012, at a reported cost of about 3.5m euros. They formed part of an initial group of 200 buses expected to be procured in 2011 to improve ambulance services.

When the vehicles arrived, they were inspected and declared unfit for purpose because they did not have the necessary equipment and accessories installed to allow them to function as medical vehicles.

The issue later became part of a prosecution brought in court by the Attorney General. In his testimony, former Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu said the 30 vehicles imported for the National Ambulance Service were defective, improperly fitted Sprinter buses rather than fully functional ambulances.

Kwaku Agyeman-Manu became sector minister in 2017 and argued that the vehicles lacked essential equipment and safety features. His comments prompted allegations that they were not fit for purpose.

However, his immediate predecessor, Alex Segbefia, disputed that position. He argued that the Akufo-Addo administration had simply failed to clear the required accessories from Tema Port so they could be installed and the vehicles made suitable for ambulance operations.

The vehicles remained parked at Burma Camp in Accra for many years while the dispute over their condition and intended use continued. The latest handover marks the first formal step towards assessing whether they can be refurbished and returned to Ghana’s emergency response system.

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