Finance Ministry: We’ll pay the $156 million loan from World Bank

The Chairman of the Finance Committee in Parliament, James Klutse Avedzi says although the Finance Ministry has put a moratorium on acquiring new loans, the $156 million loan from the World Bank is an exception.

This follows Cabinet’s approval of a proposed credit of $156 million from the World Bank’s International Development Association to finance the construction of Community Day Senior High Schools (SHS) across the country.

Government in a bid to ensure economic stability, the Finance Ministry put a moratorium on the award of new contracts and contracting new loans excluding loans and contracts already in the pipeline.

Defending the breach of the order given by the Ministry, Mr. Avedzi stated that the $156 million facility is essential to the development and growth of the nation.

According to him, although there is a moratorium on the acquisition of new loans, “government would have to allow some contingencies on some loans that are critical.”

He said the loan falls under the pipeline loan and it can therefore not be considered a new loan.

The money will be used by the government to construct 23 new Senior High Schools (SHS), 50 new rehabilitation works, support 75 low performing SHS and provide scholarships for 10, 000 students from low income families with emphasis on girls.

This is in fulfillment to a pledged made by the government during the 2012 campaign period to construct 200 news SHS and the provision of a progressively free SHS education in Ghana.

Regarding government’s debt to GDP (Gross Domestic Product) which has reached 50%, the Ketu North Constituency Legislator said Ghana has not exceeded the internationally accepted debt to GDP of 60% therefore; there is no cause for alarm.

He added that Ghana has the ability to pay back its loans because “no international body, no international institution will borrow you money if they know that you cannot even pay.”

By: Efua Idan Osam

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ABOUT: Nana Kwesi Coomson

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An Entrepreneur, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Communications Executive and Philanthropist. Editor-in-Chief of www.233times.com. A Senior Journalist with Ghanaian Chronicle Newspaper. An alumnus of Adisadel College where he read General Arts. His first degree is in Bachelor of Arts - Political Science (major) and History (minor) from the University of Ghana. He holds MSc in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Energy with Public Relations (PR) from the Robert Gordon University in the United Kingdom. He is a 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow who studied at Clark Atlanta University in USA on the Business and Entrepreneurship track.

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