GAF’s $17m debt cleared – Hamid

The Minister of Information, Mustapha Hamid, has revealed that the Akufo-Addo-led government has managed to pay the $17million debt owed the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF),left behind by the previous administration under John Dramani Mahama.

According to him, the debt resulted in unrest and disquiet within the (GAF), a situation that prompted a swift action from the government.

In addition to clearing this debt, Mr Hamid revealed that the government has also paid millions of cedis owed service providers under the National Health Insurance Scheme and the School Feeding Programme, in a bid to bring relief to Ghanaians.

He told Francis Abban host of the Morning Starr on Accra-based Starr FM on Wednesday January 10 that : “ As far as I am concerned the kind of work that we have done in one year has brought relief to many people. The National Health Insurance Scheme, when we came, was heavily indebted, many facilities were refusing to accept the NHIS cards because government hadn’t paid but we have cleared about GHS1.2billion of that debt, monies that were owed caterers under the School Feeding Programme, GET Fund scholarship arrears, we have managed to clear them.

“Moneys that were owed soldiers, over $17million in peace keeping arrears which was bringing unrest and disquiet within the Armed Forces, have been cleared.”

He added: “Recently the Ghana Police Service, we have been able to give them vehicles, motorbikes, in attempt to retool the Ghana Police Service so that they become effective.

“These are all, in my view, very huge matters that touch directly on the lives of the Ghanaian people.”