GETFund contractors lament hardship; beg gov’t to pay arrears
Some contractors who worked on projects for the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) are appealing to the government to pay them their monies which have been in arrears for years.
According to them, their business is grinding to a halt due to the indebtedness of the government to them.
The contractors have for several months been calling on the government to make the payment for projects they have executed over the years, but little appears to have been done by the government to settle the debts.
In 2018 the group threatened to embark on a demonstration but had to rescind their decision after government’s promise to pay them.
Months later, the government failed to honour the promise, leaving the group to threaten legal action against the state.
However, the government commenced payment in 2019.
In January 2019, 605 of them were settled, and the government gave the rest assurances that they would be paid in two weeks.
But the promise is yet to be redeemed.
One of the contractors who spoke to Citi News on condition of anonymity said they are not given tangible responses anytime they make requests for their money.
“They told us that in a week or two weeks’ time, they will pay, they will bring the list but up to now, from January, no payment has been made. No list has also been placed on the noticeboard but we’ve been there several times. When you go, they just tell us to come back next week. Things are not easy at all. One contractor called me yesterday complained about a lot of problems, he is unable to pay his children’s school fees. I am in the house. I don’t even have money to fuel my car to go out. I have spent all my money and up to now, no payment. We are pleading that they should pay us,” he said.
Although GETFund received parliamentary approval for a 1.5 billion dollar facility in November 2018 to among other things defray its debts, the association of Conscientious Public Sector Contractors says many of its members are yet to receive their monies.
Last year, one of the companies, Stania Company and Investment Limited, who constructed the Apedwa New Town M/A Kindergarten and Primary school in the East Akyem Abuakwa Municipality of the Eastern Region, threatened to lock up the school because of government’s indebtedness.
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Source: citinewsroom