Some local contractors are still waiting for the government to pay them the money they owe them from last year. They are very unhappy with the Ministry of Finance, which keeps giving them different reasons for the delay.
The Global Times Newspaper says that the contractors were supposed to get paid from a World Bank grant, but they did not. Then they were told to wait for the civil servants’ salaries to be paid. Then they were told that the Finance Minister was not in the office. Then they were told that the State House had to approve the payments. Now the Ministry of Finance officials are avoiding the contractors, who are afraid of their angry workers and suppliers. This is affecting the government’s projects in many areas, such as water, agriculture, energy, health, and roads. The President’s Big 5 plan, which includes Feed Salone, is also suffering because of this.
A former senior official in the Ministry of Development said that the Ministry of Finance should stop making the contractors suffer and pay them on time. The Global Times Newspaper tried to talk to the Ministry of Finance officials, but they did not answer.
