We'll resume picketing if you fail to pay all outstanding coupons by April 28 - Pensioner bondholders

A press release signed by its Convener, Dr. Adu Anane Antwi expressed disappointment over the government’s inconsistency regarding assurances to pay all pensioners their outstanding coupons and principals of bond investments.

Reacting to a press release from the Ministry of Finance dated April 14, 2023, that suggested that the leadership of Coalition of Individual Bondholders groups and the Pensioners Bondholders Forum agreed that the Joint Technical Committee constituted on January 18, 2023, reconvenes and agrees on a pathway, towards the settlement of the outstanding debt obligations by April 28, 2023.

The Pensioners said no such agreement was reached.

The forum expressed displeasure about the misleading statement in the release and the government's inconsistency regarding payments, “We wish to state finally that if the payments of all outstanding coupons and principals are not made by April 28, 2023, we shall be left with no other option than to resume our picketing at the premises of the Ministry to further press home our demand for the payment of all coupons and principals in arrears, and an end to payment delays”.

The statement further reiterated the Convener of the Forum position that some pensioners were going through a lot of pains and financial hardships, and therefore want the payments to be made by April 21, 2023, as demanded in the Forum’s letter of March 30, 2023, to the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.