The National Association of Institutional Suppliers (NAIS) has suspended its planned picketing at the Ministry of Education after a closed-door meeting with officials to discuss payments of monies owed them.

Members of the association (which supplies logistics including books, uniforms, PE kits and housedresses to senior high schools) gathered at the ministry to register their displeasure over the failure of the government to pay them their outstanding arrears for two academic years.

However, following discussions with the Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Association announced their decision to halt the demonstration.

Speaking to the media, the Public Relations Officer of NAIS, Emmanuel  Ayivor, said they received assurances from the ministry that disbursement of arrears will start on Monday afternoon.

“We have come to a conclusion and they (the Ministry) have actually assured us that they have heard our concerns. From today as a matter of urgency, they will start paying the arrears from the 2021/2022 academic year and then part of the 2022/2023 academic year will be paid by Wednesday,” Mr Ayivor said.

He added that the officials at the Education Ministry assured the NAIS leadership that all the payments would be made by Wednesday, April 10.

Last month, the National Association of Institutional Suppliers (NAIS) expressed some displeasure over government’s failure to pay its members who supply SHS with uniforms, housedresses, and other essentials.

On April 3, they announced their decision to picket at the Ministry of Education after the government reneged on its commitment to commence payment on Tuesday, 2nd April 2024, and clear all outstanding arrears owed to NAIS following a meeting in March.

“Regrettably, the Ministry of Education has failed to uphold their end of the agreement by refusing to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as agreed upon. Consequently, we are compelled to proceed with our planned picketing event."

"The picketing event remains a crucial part of our ongoing efforts to continually draw the attention of stakeholders in the education sector, and all those who mean well for Ghana’s education sector, to the longstanding issues of unpaid contracts arrears for 2021-2022, 2022-2023 academic year respectively, and other pressing issues affecting our businesses and livelihood for swift resolution.”

Meanwhile, after the new agreement with the government on Monday, the PRO of NAIS said they will meet again with the Head of Finance next week to ascertain the outstanding arrears and the payment plan.

“We have some other issues that we raised, but they have taken note of them and promised that it will be taken to the appropriate quarters,” Mr Ayivor said.

He added that the picketing has only been suspended and would resume should government fail to honor its side of the agreement.