The Chamber of Construction Industry is urging government to clear outstanding payments owed to contractors outside the Big Push Programme.
According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Emmanuel Cherry, more than GH₵7 billion remains unpaid to contractors under the Road Maintenance Trust Fund, leaving many in financial distress.
In an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Mr Cherry said although some progress has been made, the delays continue to strain contractors.
“When it comes to Road Trust Fund, we have a challenge in there. Over GH₵8.2 billion is owed to contractors but so far, a little above GH₵1 billion was paid between January and February. But the issue is once payment delays, interest is accrued on it.
“As of now, the government has promised to pay around GH₵1.6 billion and even though it is a good decision, it is still low. So, it is our plea that the government would increase it to around GH₵2.6 billion to reduce the pressure on the contractors because the amount is just a drop,” he stated.
He warned that partial payments could trigger wider economic repercussions, as contractors support entire value chains including banks, manufacturers, and service providers.
“This money will just be a drop, and people will hear that contractors have been paid, but not even a penny of this money will go into their pockets because they owe banks and once the money hits the account, it is deducted,” he said.
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