The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has appealed to picketing jobless veterinary technicians to contact the Ministry of Finance with regards to their financial clearance to begin work.

William Agyapong Quaitoo, a Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, has said it is the mandate of the finance ministry to clear them and so they should first of all seek their financial clearance from that outfit.

Members of the Coalition of Unposted Veterinary Technicians are picketing the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) today over the government’s failure to give them financial clearance to begin work.

Daniel Amoako, spokesperson for the group, speaking to Accra News’ Nana Amoako Gyampah on Tuesday July 4, said most of the about 500 veterinary technicians had not been posted several months after completing their programme.

He said all efforts to get the government to post them had proved futile, hence the picketing.

“If the government can’t employ us then they should close down the schools. Without that it means they are not helping the students. How can you churn out this huge number of students and not post them to their locations to work. Do they [officials] really know the impact of veterinary services on the country?” he said.

“We are picketing because the government has not given us our financial clearance, we will continue till they attend to our demands. We are aware that this problem started with the past government, but the new government is in place and so we want them to do the right thing for us.”

But speaking on the development in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM on Tuesday July 4, Mr Quaitoo said: “We are waiting for the financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance and so if they have any issue they should channel those grievances to the Ministry of Finance.

“We as Ministry of Food and Agriculture cannot do anything about their financial clearance.”