By Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Thomas Ampem Nyarko, has indicated that the John Mahama-led government will provide detailed clarity on outstanding payments owed to road contractors during the upcoming mid-year budget review.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, Mr. Nyarko revealed that a comprehensive audit of arrears owed to contractors has been completed by the Auditor-General in collaboration with leading accounting firms.
He explained that the audit findings showed that some claims had been disallowed.
“All these will be programmed in our budget. The Auditor-General and the top accounting firms involved in the audit have submitted reports indicating that some of the claims have been disallowed,” he said.
“So, in the mid-year budget review, Dr. Forson will report on that, and we will indicate what the audited arrears are. Then, we will also outline our plans to clear them.”
According to the Deputy Minister, the government has already allocated GH¢13 billion for arrears clearance in the 2025 fiscal year and is committed to implementing this plan rigorously.
“We have made provisions for GH¢13 billion, which we are pursuing religiously this year. In next year’s budget, we will announce another amount,” he reiterated.
He added that future allocations, including in the 2026 budget, will support continued arrears payments. He also emphasized the government’s commitment to avoiding the mistakes of the past.
Mr. Nyarko criticized the fiscal management style of the previous administration under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, claiming it led to unsustainable debt accumulation.
“If we go the way the NPP did, we would end up clearing arrears while also building up new ones. That is not how to manage an economy,” he argued.
He stressed that the current administration is focused on disciplined spending and efficient financing to prevent new arrears from accumulating.
“That is why we are managing the financing so well, we avoid arrears build-up by issuing commitment authorizations so that we don’t spend beyond what is budgeted for the year.”
