The Pensioner Bondholders Forum will return to the Finance Ministry today, April 28, 2023, to demand that their bonds’ matured coupons and principal be paid.
The government has failed to fulfil its obligations to pensioner bondholders who were exempted from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), as well as to individual bondholders who did not participate in the scheme.
Principals and coupons on 22 bond issuances totaling more than GH1 billion have been outstanding since February 2023.
Pensioner bondholders who occupied the Finance Ministry for two weeks to protest against the debt exchange plan have threatened to take similar action if payments are not made right away.
“We were promised to be paid, as and when it is due. But now here we are, coupons are overdue. Some of them including the principals are well overdue for more than two months. All that have not been paid and that is what we are facing. That is the saddening situation we are facing. This is where we have said that, if government does not pay us by today, pensioners will resume their picketing at the Ministry of Finance.”
In a previous statement, the forum expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s inconsistent promises to pay all pensioners their outstanding bond principal and coupons.
The Forum’s Convener, Dr. Adu Anane Antwi requested that the payments be made in accordance with the demands made in the Forum’s letter dated March 30, 2023, to the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, and expressed his regret for the pain and financial hardships that members had to endure as a result of the delay.
