The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has disclosed that an audit of contractor payments enabled the government to prevent substantial financial losses.
His remarks were made in response to concerns expressed by the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry (GhCCI) regarding delays in the disbursement of funds for the settlement of outstanding Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs).
The Chamber had cautioned that the extended delays were jeopardising thousands of jobs and essential infrastructure projects across the country.
In a letter dated September 29, 2025, addressed to the Roads and Highways Minister, the Chamber conveyed its serious concern over what it termed the government’s failure to fulfil President John Dramani Mahama’s promise that all outstanding payments would be settled by the end of July 2025.
The organisation stated that the delays had imposed significant financial pressure on contractors, consultants, suppliers, and other industry stakeholders.
On Tuesday, October 14, Mr. Agbodza stated that the ministry had taken the necessary time to meticulously examine and verify all certificates submitted by contractors during the transition period, ensuring accuracy and accountability.
He revealed that approximately GHS 5 billion had been disbursed to contractors following the completion of the audit and validation process.
“As of Friday, October 10, the Finance Minister started paying GHC5 billion owed to contractors out of the over GHC21 billion. The process was that the payment request may not be as it is.
He added, “The Auditor General and others carried out some validation of payments. If we had rushed to pay, we would have thrown away part of your money. Because during the validation, the amount we were told we owed is not exactly so”.
He pointed out that most of the arrears had significantly risen compared to the figures provided by the Akufo-Addo administration during the transition period.
“At the time of transition, the previous government told us that the bills unpaid for contractors at the Government of Ghana (GoG) were GHC21 billion; today, I know it’s far more than that. The road fund indebtedness, they told us, was GHC5.1 billion.
“Today, I’m told it’s over GHC8 billion. GHC120 billion worth of projects were awarded, some of which didn’t even have commencement certificates. They didn’t even have an idea how the contractors were going to work. Indeed, some of the contractors never turned up on site since 2022, when the contract was awarded,” he stressed.
He stated that he had already met with the contractors and received assurances regarding the government’s commitment to settle the arrears.
