In a country where the monthly minimum wage hovers around GHS450, imagine facing medical bills of GHS8,400 every month just to stay alive.
This is the crushing reality for thousands of Ghanaians suffering from kidney failure—a silent epidemic claiming lives not just through disease, but through financial impossibility.
Last week, under the warm Accra sun, businessman Seidu Agongo stood before officials at the Ministry of Health, his eyes reflecting both determination and compassion as he presented a cheque for GHS500,000 to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund.
The donation, made on behalf of Alive Industries, was a pledge Alhaji Agongo—its founder and head—made during the launch of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund by President John Dramani Mahama.
“I see their faces every day,” Alhaji Agongo told the media, his voice steady but emotional. “Mothers who sell everything they own for one more treatment. Fathers who must choose between feeding their children or staying alive to raise them.”
“These are the impossible choices no Ghanaian should have to make,” he added, underscoring his closeness to the critical survival situations that inspired the donation.
As the owner of a dialysis centre and founder of the collapsed Heritage Bank, Alhaji Agongo has witnessed firsthand the devastating arithmetic of kidney disease in Ghana.
Each dialysis session costs about GHS800, with most patients requiring three sessions per week—amounting to roughly GHS8,400 monthly or $800. According to the Global Payroll Association, Ghana’s average monthly income is about $750, with over half the working population earning less than that.
“In a developing country where people hardly get food to eat, this is a significant strain,” Agongo noted, addressing a room of health officials and journalists.
“That’s nearly 20 times the minimum wage. How can we expect our people to bear this?” he asked, drawing silence from the room.
Bolstering Hope, Securing Lives
Alhaji Agongo’s donation will bolster the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, a programme launched under President Mahama and nicknamed Mahama Cares. It aims to assist the most vulnerable: the poor, the unemployed, the elderly, and those without support systems.
Health Minister Mintah Kwabena Akandoh, visibly moved during the ceremony, said the donation transcended corporate social responsibility.
“This is about Ghanaians standing for Ghanaians,” he said. “Alhaji Agongo demonstrates what we must all aspire to—seeing the suffering of our neighbours and responding not because we have much, but because we care deeply.”
Agongo, who also owns Agricult, an agriculture-focused company, stressed that his motivation stems from understanding the link between public health and national prosperity.
“As a businessman, my success means nothing in a society where people die from treatable conditions,” he said.
“My business only flourishes in a healthy environment. We all need access to proper healthcare—not as a luxury, but as a fundamental right.”
A Challenge To Ghanaians
Alhaji Agongo used the opportunity to call on others to support one another to make life better.
“This is not about wealth—it’s about compassion. It is not because I have, but because I care. Together, let’s continue to lift others and be the reason someone gets another chance at life.”
Agongo has donated to thousands across the country, including building a block for the Child Emergency Unit at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
ALSO READ: