Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has revealed that the Mahama administration is responsible for a transparent and sustainable process for clearing arrears owed to contractors and other creditors.
In an interview, Dr Forson revealed that the government inherited GH₵68 billion in outstanding payments, an amount he described as a key contributor to the current fiscal deficit of 3.9% of GDP.
He explained that the first step was to conduct a comprehensive audit of all claims to verify their legitimacy before establishing an appropriate repayment plan.
“We inherited GH₵68 billion, and that is what resulted in the 3.9% fiscal deficit. The government cannot settle GH₵68 billion in a single year. So I first needed to audit and validate the claims to determine the strategy for clearing them. As part of the 2025 budget, I have allocated GH₵13.8 billion to begin paying these arrears,” he said.
His remarks come amid concerns from some experts who argue that the government appears more focused on maintaining clean fiscal records, even as many contractors continue to face financial distress due to delayed payments.
