The Association of Road Contractors has raised concerns regarding the reported beneficiaries of the GH¢49 billion paid to contractors by the Finance Ministry.
At a press briefing on Friday, May 24, Minister of Finance, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam announced that the government had expended some GH¢49 billion on contractor payments.
However, the road contractors contend that the government owes them close to GH¢15 billion and denied any knowledge of receiving such substantial funds.
The Chairman of the Association, John Afful, however, questioned the allocation and actual beneficiaries of the GH¢49 billion.
“The government owes us a lot of money. When it comes to road funds, there is as much as GH¢6.2 million owed us as of the end of March. When you go to COCOBOD, there is over GH¢5 billion owed to road contractors.
“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. 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 questioned.
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