Ofori-Atta assures NABCO trainees and CETAG payment of arrears

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta says some level of agreement has been reached between government and fund managers, for the inclusion of pension funds in the Domestic Debt Exchange programme.

The move is part of renewed negotiations in the Programme, he noted, will promote macro-economic stability to build the fiscal space.

“How do we open up our space and thinking so that other instruments can be created that will be safer for you into the future? I think that that’s the discussion that we have had since last year and I think that we’re coming to some closure that will be beneficial to both parties”

Ken Ofori-Atta, was speaking in an exclusive interview on GBC’s current Affairs programme, Talking Point, which discussed the midyear budget review. He expressed confidence that by the close of September, this year some closure would be brought to the discussion.

“I’m excited about the dialogue that we have had over the period, the understanding of what is mutually beneficial and sustainable for the economy and I believe that by the end of September, we should be able to have a system that is more robust looking into the future that also supports an alternative offer that will be agreeable.”

On arrears owed trainees on the Nation’s Builders Corps Programme NABCO, and Colleges of Education Teachers Association, Ghana (CETAG), Mr. Ofori-Atta, hinted that it has been programmed for payment.

He said payments are being carried out in a systematic manner.

“Yes we do have arrears with NABCO and other areas that we have programmed to be able to pay over a certain period. If you look at school feeding, for example, I think that is all paid through this past semester, so we are tackling it in a rather organized way to get there.

Touching on calls for his resignation, from some sections of the public especially parliamentarians, he said the period during which the calls were made was a difficult time, which made people express varied opinions. For him, he has a duty to serve and his focus will continue to be to turn fortunes of the economy.

“In a democracy, I think that is warranted, those were difficult periods and I think that everybody had truly expressed what they wanted. But more importantly, you were in a situation and given the urgency of ensuring that the IMF programme gets through so that we can build confidence. We all needed to rethink what we wanted, and for me it was a duty to serve, there is no running away from it.”

Mr. Ofori-Atta said government has channeled a lot of resources into the Ghana Enterprises Agency to give grants to Ghanaian businesses.