Government will begin paying debts owed to road contractors by the end of July, President John Dramani Mahama has announced.
Speaking during a meeting with members of the Council of State at the Presidency on Monday, the President said the Ministry of Finance has made budgetary provisions to begin clearing arrears owed to contractors.
“Payment is about to start from the end of this month. The Minister of Finance has put some money aside to begin to clear the arrears of contractors,” President Mahama said.
He explained that the payments will allow contractors to return to stalled project sites, noting that several ongoing road works have slowed down due to delayed payments.
“He’s prioritising payments to road contractors because several of the road contracts have stalled and slowed down,” the President added, citing public concerns over delays, including threats of demonstrations over roads like the Ofankor stretch.
President Mahama stressed that getting contractors back to site is critical to fast-tracking infrastructure delivery and driving the government’s broader economic recovery plan.
Further details on the payment structure and scope will be outlined in the upcoming mid-year budget review, which will also provide a performance update for the first half of the year.
President Mahama assured the Council that following the mid-year budget review, the government will engage them again for further discussions on the administration’s progress.
