Pay our GH₵5.9bn debt to save our companies – Road contractors to govt

The Association of Road Contractors Ghana has called on the government to urgently settle the GH¢5.9 billion owed to contractors to prevent their companies from collapsing.

In December last year, sector minister Kwasi Amoako Atta assured Ghanaian road contractors that government will pay them a chunk of its debt before the end of the year while gradually settling the rest.

But the National Chairman of the Association of Road Contractors Ghana John Afful Jnr. revealed in an interview with Citi News that the government only paid an insignificant amount of the total debt.

He has, therefore, called on the government to speedily pay significant amounts owed to contractors to help save their companies and also pay their creditors.

“If you announce to the whole world that you are paying contractors by the end of the year and our suppliers, our creditors, and our banks are chasing us to bring the money into an account what do we do? The Ghana road fund owes contractors GH¢5.9 billion as of the end of October 2022,” Mr Afful said.

Meanwhile, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Roads and Highways, Ahmad Nasir Yartey in response told Citi News, that the government will pay contractors as and when funds are released.

“Every quarter, the ministry receives some releases for the road fund so as and when we receive some releases payments will be made.”