A total of 74,000 validated customers of defunct DKM Microfinance have fully been paid by the receiver, with 13,857 outstanding.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who announced this assured that all outstanding customers would be fully paid latest by the end of September this year.

He said the outstanding amount due to be paid was GH¢283 million, adding that “The money is ready with the receiver and she is paying now.”

According to the President, 90,353 claims were received since DKM went receivership, out of which 1,393 were rejected, leaving 88,962 validated customers.

The President disclosed these during a radio interview with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) Regional FM Station, Radio BAR in Sunyani yesterday.

“In the case of specialised-deposit taking institutions that had their licences revoked by the Bank of Ghana, 98 per cent of the affected customers have been paid fully while all depositors of liquidated banks under my administration have been fully paid,” he stated.

Touching on other issues, President Akufo-Addo said the government was poised to diversify the agriculture base of the country, indicating that the country cannot continue to rely solely on cocoa.

He mentioned the promotion of seven cash crops- rubber, mango, shea, cashew, coffee, coconut and oil palm.

This, he noted, necessitated the passage of a law backing the yet to be inaugurated Tree Crops Development Authority, saying “the Development Authority will be inaugurated before the end of the year.”

He further explained that Cote d’Ivoire earns about US$16 billion from agriculture annually and with the same climatic condition, Ghana could do same.

The President said government had laid a solid foundation covering all spectrum of the economy to help transit the country to the “next level.”

He added that the private sector would be empowered to drive the developmental agenda in the years ahead.