The Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, has announced that the Ministry of Finance has released the final tranche of funds to settle outstanding salary arrears owed to railway workers across the country.

Speaking to journalists after appearing before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in Ada, Mr Nikpe explained that the arrears accumulated because the railway sector had not been operational since 2023, leaving it unable to generate revenue to pay workers.

“Because they were not operational since 2023, they are set up to work, pay themselves and pay dividends to the state,” the Minister said.

“And because they were not in operation, they couldn't pay themselves, nor could they pay any dividend to the state,” he added.

According to Mr Nikpe, government intervention, directed by President John Dramani Mahama, has already led to several payments being made to affected workers over the past few months.

“Through the directive of the President, in December, we paid them almost five months or four months each, their salaries that were owed,” he stated.

The Minister further disclosed that another four months of salary arrears were paid about two months ago, while arrangements are now underway to clear the remaining balance.

“As we speak, the Minister for Finance has released money for us to do the last payment for the railway workers,” Mr Nikpe revealed.

He explained, however, that the funds must still pass through the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department before payments can officially be made.

“It has to go through the Controller, and all processes have to be followed before the money is released to the Ministry of Transport for payment,” he said.

Mr Nikpe assured railway workers that they had been informed about the current stage of the payment process and reiterated the government’s commitment to settling all outstanding arrears.

“And all the railway workers are aware at the stage at which we are, that the release is done by the Ministry of Finance and it is at the Controller,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the remaining arrears, estimated at between five and six months, would soon be paid.

“The moment the Controller finishes and it is released, we are going to pay the rest of the workers. We will pay between five and six months, and that would have brought some kind of relief to us,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Transport Minister also assured Ghanaians that the 100 newly procured buses by the government would soon be deployed to improve public transportation, particularly during peak hours.

According to him, the delay in putting the buses into operation is due to ongoing registration, inspection, driver training and servicing processes.

“If you have a number of buses up to 100 and you bring them into the system, they have to be registered. They have to go through all the inspections,” he explained.