The Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry is threatening to sue the government over monies owed its members for contracts executed.
According to the chamber, the current situation is taking a toll on the businesses of its members adding that the delay in payment causes them to incur more debts on the loans they acquired in executing the projects.
Speaking to Citi Business News, Emmanuel Cherry, the CEO of the chamber said if the government doesn’t come through with the payment, they will have no other option than to seek redress in court.
“That is what the chamber is coming to do now, because, we realized that if nothing is being done the government agencies will take advantage and be doing this and the purse of the government will be bleeding all the time. Some of these monies that we are using for interest on delayed payment is of no need.”
The Chamber had earlier given the government a 14-day ultimatum to pay all outstanding debt owed its members.
The road contractors have threatened to demonstrate should their warning fall on deaf ears.
The situation according to the contractors had led to the loss of jobs and properties used as collateral by its members for bank loans.
Mr. Cherry told Citi Business News all efforts to get the government to pay their monies have yielded no results.
“We are only trying to see how best we can let cool heads prevail. Our people are agitating, they have been calling for a demonstration for a while now. But we have managed to cool them down for some time. And when you talk of contractors demonstrating, it is not just any ordinary one you see on the streets. They are going to block the roads with heavy-duty machines among others. If you owe a contractor, the effect trickles down to all spheres.”
