The Ghanaian government has started paying road contractors who worked on various cocoa roads in the country.
This is according to the contractors who say the government is settling its outstanding arrears in the sector.
Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry, Cherry Emmanuel told Accra-based Citi FM that they have been assured of a 40% payment by the end of January.
The contractors had earlier threatened the government to pay all arrears by January 1, 2020, or face their wrath after accusing the government of failing to honour its promises to them.
The CEO said he is hopeful the government will pay all the arrears this time round.
“The 40 percent government promised to pay all cocoa road contractors is ongoing as we currently speak and we are hoping that before the close of this particular month (January), all that government has promised will be paid.”
This is not the first time the contractors are threatening to demonstrate over arrears. On several occasions they have had to rescind their decision after the government’s promises to pay them.
The government has, however, been paying the arrears of the contractors in installment.
In January 2019, 605 of them were settled, and the government gave the rest assurances that they would be paid.
