Political drivers of project risk in public healthcare infrastructure: a comparison of African and EU contexts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3846/bm.2026.2477Abstract
Public healthcare infrastructure represents a major long-term investment essential for national health system resilience. However, financial and performance challenges undermine the successful delivery of these projects. A scoping review of 33 papers was conducted, guided by the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and Institutional Theory, to analyse the political drivers of project risk in public healthcare infrastructure in Africa and the EU. The study demonstrates that political drivers of healthcare infrastructure risks manifest across all institutional domains in both regions. The analysis of literature across both regions, with country cases focusing on Ghana and Lithuania, revealed how varying political factors, funding arrangements, and socioeconomic conditions influence project governance and interference. The analysis establishes the benefits that regional organisational involvement provides in strengthening project governance and mitigating political interference.
Keywords:
political factors, project risk, healthcare infrastructure, development assistance, Ghana, Lithuania, Africa, EUHow to Cite
Abu, T. Z., Elliott, S. J., & Karanja, D. (2021). ‘When you preach water and you drink wine’: WASH in healthcare facilities in Kenya. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 11(4), 558–569. https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2021.238
Abugri, E. A. (2023, February 6). Debt exchange: Govt to suspend 60 major projects; 3 million jobs to be lost – Agbodza alleges. https://www.modernghana.com/news/1210326/debt-exchange-govt-to-suspend-60-major-projects.html
Agede, P., Fanta, G., & Grobbelaar, S. (2025). Political interference and its impact on healthcare infrastructure projects in Africa: Contextual insights from Ghana. In SAIIE35 Proceedings (pp. 441–461).
Amon, S., Gerold, J., Akweongo, P., Bulthuis, S. E., Agyemang, S. A., & Aikins, M. (2024). De facto health governance policies and practices in a decentralized setting of Ghana: Implication for policy making and implementation. SSM - Health Systems, 3, Article 100017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmhs.2024.100017
Appiah-Kubi, S., Mao, W., Koduah, A., Aryeetey, G. C., Ogbuoji, O., & Nonvignon, J. (2022). Perspectives of frontline health workers on transition from development assistance for health in Ghana: A qualitative study. PLOS Global Public Health, 2(4), Article e0000093. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000093
Arstorp, A.-T. (2024). Tensions between the political, institutional, and project levels when developing professional digital competence in teacher education. A cultural historical activity theory analysis of inhibiting and facilitating factors. Teachers and Teaching, 30(4), 545–562. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2024.2313636
Asirifi, E. K., Ocansey, E. O. N. D., & Peprah, E. (2025). Evaluating the Effectiveness of Public Procurement Methods Under Ghana’s Act: A Systematic Literature Review. OALib, 12(08), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1113861
Ayim, A., Agyepong, I. A., & Enyimayew, N. (2023). Why district assemblies disburse resources to district health systems for service delivery at district level in the context of decentralization: A comparative study of two districts in the Volta Region of Ghana. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, Article 1136210. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1136210
Bukari, G. A. (2022). Political economy of elections and voting behaviour in Ghana’s Fourth Republic, 1992-2020. Africa Journal of Public Sector Development and Governance, 5(1), 86–108. https://doi.org/10.55390/ajpsdg.2022.5.1.4
Burchardt, M., & Umlauf, R. (2023). Where is the bottleneck? Drones and the paradoxes of digitising medical supplies in Ghana’s landscapes of care. Global Public Health, 18(1), Article 2274434. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2023.2274434
CoR. (n.d.). Lithuania: Introduction. Retrieved 26 February 2026, from https://portal.cor.europa.eu/divisionpowers/Pages/Lithuania-Introduction.aspx
Daly, G., Kaufman, J., Lin, S., Gao, L., Reyes, M., Matemu, S., & El-Sadr, W. (2020). Challenges and opportunities in china’s health aid to Africa: Findings from qualitative interviews in Tanzania and Malawi. Globalization and Health, 16(1), Article 71. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-020-00577-0
Dubas-Jakóbczyk, K., Albreht, T., Behmane, D., Bryndova, L., Dimova, A., Džakula, A., Habicht, T., Murauskiene, L., Scîntee, S. G., Smatana, M., Velkey, Z., & Quentin, W. (2020). Hospital reforms in 11 Central and Eastern European countries between 2008 and 2019: A comparative analysis. Health Policy, 124(4), 368–379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2020.02.003
Erku, D. A., Desalegn, A., Mekonnen, T. M., Dessie, E., Wolde, F. B., Ababulgu, S. A., Scuffham, P. A., Walker, D., Sucu, R., & Abera, S. (2025). Towards institutionalizing HTA in Ethiopia: Using a political economy analysis to explore stakeholder perspectives and assessing capacity needs. International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 41(1), Article e24. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266462325000170
Fahy, N., Hervey, T., Dayan, M., Flear, M., Galsworthy, M., Greer, S., Jarman, H., & McKee, M. (2021). Assessing the potential impact on health of the UK’s future relationship agreement with the EU: Analysis of the negotiating positions. Health Economics, Policy and Law, 16(3), 290–307. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1744133120000171
Fischer, T., Mauer, N., & Tille, F. (2024). A framework for studying EU health policy through a political determinants of health lens: The case of the European Health Union. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 49(5), 691–720. https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-11257056
García-Altés, A., McKee, M., Siciliani, L., Barros, P. P., Lehtonen, L., Rogers, H., Kringos, D., Zaletel, J., & De Maeseneer, J. (2023). Understanding public procurement within the health sector: A priority in a post-COVID-19 world. Health Economics, Policy and Law, 18(2), 172–185. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1744133122000184
Greer, S. L., Jarman, H., & Baeten, R. (2016). The new political economy of health care in the European Union: The impact of fiscal governance. International Journal of Health Services, 46(2), 262–282. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020731416637205
Greer, S. L., Jarman, H., Kulikoff, R., Panteli, D., Van Ginneken, E., & Wismar, M. (2025). The second Trump administration: A policy analysis of challenges and opportunities for European health policymakers. Health Policy, 158, Article 105350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105350
Infrastructure Directorate. (n.d.). Ministry of Health. Retrieved 26 February 2026, from https://www.moh.gov.gh/infrastructure/
Jastramskis, M., & Ramonaitė, A. (2024). Lithuania: Political developments and data in 2023: Local elections, NATO summit and expenses scandal. European Journal of Political Research Political Data Yearbook, 63(1), 285–293. https://doi.org/10.1111/2047-8852.12445
Kaburi, B. B., Wyss, K., Kenu, E., Asiedu-Bekoe, F., Hauri, A. M., Laryea, D. O., Klett-Tammen, C. J., Leone, F., Walter, C., & Krause, G. (2023). Facilitators and barriers in the implementation of a digital surveillance and outbreak response system in Ghana before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Qualitative analysis of stakeholder interviews. JMIR Formative Research, 7, Article e45715. https://doi.org/10.2196/45715
Katurura, M. C., & Cilliers, L. (2018). Electronic health record system in the public health care sector of South Africa: A systematic literature review. African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 10(1), Article a1746. https://doi.org/10.4102/phcfm.v10i1.1746
Mallick, L. M., & Amo-Adjei, J. (2021). A call to action: Reinvigorating interest and investments in health infrastructure. Global Health: Science and Practice, 9(4), 711–715. https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-21-00674
Mao, W., McDade, K. K., Huffstetler, H. E., Dodoo, J., Abankwah, D. N. Y., Coleman, N., Riviere, J., Zhang, J., Nonvignon, J., Bharali, I., Bandara, S., Ogbuoji, O., & Yamey, G. (2021). Transitioning from donor aid for health: Perspectives of national stakeholders in Ghana. BMJ Global Health, 6(1), Article e003896. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003896
Marten, M. G., & Sullivan, N. (2020). Hospital side hustles: Funding conundrums and perverse incentives in Tanzania’s publicly-funded health sector. Social Science & Medicine, 244, Article 112662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112662
Murauskiene, L., Janoniene, R., Veniute, M., van Ginneken, E., & Karanikolos, M. (2013). Lithuania: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 15(2), 1–150.
Musuka, H., Mano, O., Iradukunda, P. G., Pierre, G., Munyonho, F. T., Moyo, E., & Dzinamarira, T. (2025). Global health development aid initiatives and the quality of medical laboratory services in sub-Saharan Africa: A narrative review. Global Health Journal, 9(2), 104–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glohj.2025.06.006
Mve Mvondo, C., Giamberti, A., Ngowe Ngowe, M., Mbuoh, H. A., Milocco, I., Tsague Kengni, H. N., Cirri, S., & Frigiola, A. (2022). Cardiac surgery development in cameroon: Unexpected challenges from a socio-political crisis. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 9, Article 778075. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2022.778075
Nwofe, J. O., Ojo, E. A., Owolagba, F. E., Onyebuchi, P. O., Disu, T., Onugwu, K. C., Tomori, M., Offie, D. C., Egbonrelu, N., Adetoye, D. A., Owoicho, A., Ogaga, J., & Adebiyi, B. O. (2026). U.S. withdrawal from WHO and aid programs: Implications and opportunities for Africa’s global health security. Globalization and Health, 22(1), Article 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-026-01189-w
Opoku-Mensah, F. A., Ahenkan, A., Temesgen, B., & Maloreh-Nyamekye, T. (2025). Drivers of sustainable procurement in the health sector: Perspectives from key informant interviews of two teaching hospitals in Ghana. Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation, 24(1), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12962-025-00686-w
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Systematic Reviews, 10(1), Article 89. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-021-01626-4
Palthe, J. (2014). Regulative, Normative, and cognitive elements of organizations: Implications for managing change. Management and Organizational Studies, 1(2), 59–66. https://doi.org/10.5430/mos.v1n2p59
Păun, N., & Buvilski, E. (2019). Decision making in Central Africa- The public health system in light of the changing economy. On-Line Journal Modelling the New Europe, (31), 4–17. https://doi.org/10.24193/OJMNE.2019.31.01
Pierre, J., Carelli, D., & Peters, B. G. (2024). The four worlds of politics and administration in the EU: How institutional arrangements shape the struggle against antimicrobial resistance. Journal of European Public Policy, 31(12), 4088–4115. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2023.2255223
Pinto, J. (2017). A multifocal framework for developing Intentionally Sustainable Organizations. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 28, 17–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2017.07.002
Sarmiento-Suárez, R., Padron-Monedero, A., Bogaert, P., Abboud, L., Van Oyen, H., Tolonen, H., Tijhuis, M., Seeling, S., Haneef, R., Zaletel, M., Palmieri, L., Gallay, A., Lapão, L. V., Nogueira, P., Ziese, T., Vukovic, J., Beja, A., Saso, M., & Noguer-Zambrano, I. (2022). The InfAct proposal for a sustainable European health information infrastructure on population health: The Distributed Infrastructure on Population Health (DIPoH). Archives of Public Health, 80(1), Article 139. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-022-00844-z
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2023). Research methods for business students (9th ed.). Pearson.
Schleiff, M. J., Kuan, A., & Ghaffar, A. (2020). Comparative analysis of country-level enablers, barriers and recommendations to strengthen institutional capacity for evidence uptake in decision-making. Health Research Policy and Systems, 18(1), Article 78. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-020-00546-4
Scott, W. R. (2013). Institutions and organizations: Ideas, interests, and identities. SAGE Publications.
Shi, J., Feng, Y., Wang, M., Maimaitiming, M., Jin, Y., Ren, M., & Zheng, Z. (2024). China’s anti-malaria development assistance for health to sub-Saharan Africa and its influencing factors: A panel analysis. Journal of Global Health, 14, Article 04250. https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.14.04250
Shuftan, N., Scarpetti, G., Polin, K., Kasekamp, K., Behmane, D., Murauskiene, L., & Struckmann, V. (2026). Integrated care in the Baltic countries over a five-year period: An expert-informed cross-country analysis of progress, challenges and future directions. Health Policy, 166, Article 105526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105526
Sibuyi, I.-N., De La Harpe, R., & Nyasulu, P. (2022). A stakeholder-centered mHealth implementation inquiry within the digital health innovation ecosystem in South Africa: MomConnect as a demonstration case. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 10(6), Article e18188. https://doi.org/10.2196/18188
Sommersguter-Reichmann, M., & Reichmann, G. (2024). Untangling the corruption maze: Exploring the complexity of corruption in the health sector. Health Economics Review, 14(1), Article 50. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13561-024-00530-6
Sommersguter-Reichmann, M., Wild, C., Stepan, A., Reichmann, G., & Fried, A. (2018). Individual and institutional corruption in european and US healthcare: Overview and link of various corruption typologies. Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, 16(3), 289–302. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40258-018-0386-6
State of health in the EU Lithuania country health profile 2025. (2025). European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.
Tricco, A. C., Lillie, E., Zarin, W., O’Brien, K. K., Colquhoun, H., Levac, D., Moher, D., Peters, M. D. J., Horsley, T., Weeks, L., Hempel, S., Akl, E. A., Chang, C., McGowan, J., Stewart, L., Hartling, L., Aldcroft, A., Wilson, M. G., Garritty, C., … Straus, S. E. (2018). PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and explanation. Annals of Internal Medicine, 169(7), 467–473. https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-0850
Ukoaka, B. M., Daniel, F. M., Ajah, K. U., Abiodun, A., Udam, N. G., Daniel, R. T., Udoh, R. A., Lawal, H., Ogunbowale, I., & Olalekan, O. J. (2024). Exploring the socioeconomic and political implications of recurrent coup d’etat in Africa and their impact on global health. Discover Global Society, 2(1), Article 44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44282-024-00077-1
Umlauf, R., & Burchardt, M. (2022). Infrastructure-as-a-service: Empty skies, bad roads, and the rise of cargo drones. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 54(8), 1489–1509. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X221118915
Witter, S., Van Der Merwe, M., Twine, R., Mabetha, D., Hove, J., Tollman, S. M., & D’Ambruoso, L. (2024). Opening decision spaces: A case study on the opportunities and constraints in the public health sector of Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. PLOS ONE, 19(7), Article e0304775. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0304775
World Bank Data Help Desk. (n.d.). World bank country and lending groups. Retrieved 26 February 2026, from https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups
World Health Organization. (2024 January 31). Global spending on health: Coping with the pandemic. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240086746
Yang, H., Liu, P., & Guo, Y. (2018). Determinants of China’s development assistance for health at the sub-national level of African countries (2006–2015). Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 7(1), Article 128. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40249-018-0510-8
Yigit, S. (2024). China–Africa multifaceted collaboration. In M. Muchie, A. Baskaran, & M. Tang (Eds.), China-Africa science, technology and innovation collaboration (pp. 351–369). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-4576-0_19
Zuniga-Jara, S., Ruiz-Campo, S., & Soria-Barreto, K. (2025). A heuristic model for the cost of capital of healthcare facilities: Estimates for five countries. BMC Health Services Research, 25(1), Article 1242. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-13451-9
Downloads
Published
Conference Event
Section
Copyright
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
