The Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry(GhCCI) has hinted at a court action against the government for failing to pay over 10 billion cedis accrued debt to contractors.
The contractors have been lamenting that for over four years now, the government has stalled in paying them for work done, a situation they say is having a negative toll on both businesses and their personal lives.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industries, Emmanuel Cherry, speaking at a press conference in Accra on October 13, said their members would resort to the courts to compel the government to pay them.
“Approximately 10 billion Ghana cedis is in arrears as we speak. We are even being charitable with the figure. If we should log altogether with interest upon delayed payment, it will be more than this, honestly speaking. So just imagine the government owing contractors just debt portfolio, and see what it can do for the economic fibre of the country. So people are crying that there’s no money because the government has failed to pay contractors”.
He further stated, “if we are threatening that we’ll take legal action against the government, it is because of this. We have waited for too long, and the time has come”.
The Chamber is also demanding that government makes an account to Ghanaians on how much of the proceeds from the E-levy has been invested into infrastructure development.