The Cocoa Road Contractors have called on the government, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to urgently settle their outstanding debts, threatening to demonstrate on December 7, 2024, the day general elections will be held in the country.

According to the contractors, through the Ministry of Agriculture and COCOBOD, the government owes them over GH¢3 billion, and all efforts to get their payments have proven futile.

Speaking in an interview on Peace FM on November 27, 2024, some of the contractors expressed their frustration with the government and COCOBOD for failing to honour their commitments.

"We will boycott the elections and stage demonstrations on the election day if our demands are not met," one said.

They also lamented that numerous promises and assurances from COCOBOD and its executives have yielded no results, emphasizing that the government's response to their grievances will determine their next course of action.

The group also criticized their leadership for negligence and urged members to boycott the upcoming elections and stage a demonstration on the same day.

"We have constructed the roads for a very long time, yet we haven't been paid, so we demand our payments as a matter of urgency."

However, the Vice Chairman of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry (GCCI), Nana Opare Kwarfo, has supported the contractors' stance, stating that their grievances are valid and that their leadership has also made several attempts to recover the arrears but has met with no success.

He further called on the government, the Ministry of Agriculture, and COCOBOD to act swiftly to address the issue.

He also urged contractors to remain patient, assuring them that GCCI is actively engaging with authorities to find a resolution. Additionally, he condemned the call by some contractors to boycott the elections and hold demonstrations on the same day, arguing that such actions could disrupt ongoing negotiations.

"Boycotting the elections and staging demonstrations will aggravate things, especially in the ongoing negotiations period, so we urge them to hold on with their agitations as we try to find solutions to their problems," he said.

AM/KA

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