Contractors Dispute Finance Minister’s ¢49bn Payment Claim

Local contractors have disputed claims that GHC49 billion have been used to clear the government’s debt to them this year.

According to the Chairman of the Association of Road Contractors, John Afful, they are owed over GHC16 billion by the government with some of the debt dating back to 2016.

“We are surprised the minister for finance has come up and spoken about GH¢49 billion paid to contractors. Who are those contractors? Where are the contractors who have taken these huge sums of money?

“And GH¢49 billion as against what they owed us, it means they have cleared all the arrears. As I sit here as the national chairman, I don’t have a pesewa paid into my account so where lies the truth about what he said?” he is quoted as saying by CNR.

In a breakdown, he said the government owed them over Gh¢6.2 million in road funds, ¢5 billion in cocoa roads, among others.

“When you get the Ministry of Finance, huge sums of about GH¢6.7 billion are owed. When you add up, it is well over GH¢16 billion owed to local contractors and it ranges from 2016 till now. There are some certificates as far back as 2016 that have not been honoured. We are in pain and nobody is helping us.”

The Finance Minister, Mohammed Amin Adam on May 24 announced payment of over GHC40 billion to contractors.

He said the payment has increased cedi circulation in the economy and fuelled the steep cedi depreciation.