Government has given members of the National Association of Institutional Suppliers assurance that settlement of arrears under the Free Senior High School programme will commence next week, after the group picketed at the Ministry of Education on Thursday, June 11.
The suppliers besieged the Ministry to demand payment for uniforms, house dresses and other school attire supplied to senior high schools since 2023.
Following the protest, a closed-door session was held with the Chief Director and the Director of Finance at the Ministry of Education.
Addressing journalists after the engagement, NAIS President, Emmanuel Ayivor, said the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, personally accepted their petition and briefed them on government’s payment schedule.
“The Minister was present. He took our petition himself and graciously informed us that by next week, we will be paid for the first batch, so we are hopeful that the Minister will deliver on his promise,” Ayivor said.
He indicated that the total debt stands at about GH¢50 million. Government has split the payments into three tranches. The first tranche, roughly GH¢38 million, has been approved and is set for disbursement.
The second tranche has been forwarded to GETFund for processing. Officials anticipate all outstanding amounts will be cleared before the month ends.
“We were told the first batch is ready. The second batch has gone to GETFund, and they are working on it. They expect that by the close of the month, our arrears will be cleared. So by next week, payments will surely commence. The first batch will be about GH¢38 million, and the rest will follow,” he stated.
Ayivor said the picketing was unavoidable because the payment delays have severely hurt suppliers. He explained that many depended on bank credit to produce and deliver the uniforms, and the unpaid arrears have now pushed them into financial strain.
“Some of our members are struggling to keep their workers because of cash flow problems. The situation has become very difficult,” he added.
The Association says it expects government to fulfil its commitment and ensure all outstanding payments are made before the end of June.
