Government says it will urgently address the salary arrears of 321 pharmacists who have gone unpaid since their employment in June 2023.
Announcing this during the 2025 Budget presentation to Parliament, Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson acknowledged the concerns raised during his recent consultations with Ghana’s youth on social media.
“We will take urgent steps to remedy this situation immediately,” Dr Forson assured, following revelations that the pharmacists had yet to receive their salaries despite being in active service for nearly two years.
His commitment comes amid broader consultations held ahead of the budget, where the government engaged key stakeholders, including traders and business owners, to gather input on pressing economic concerns.
Beyond the pharmacists’ salary concerns, the Finance Minister also addressed the worries of Ghanaian traders and the business community, particularly regarding price hikes and exchange rate volatility.
Dr Forson explained that consultations with traders at major markets, including Makola, had revealed that fluctuating exchange rates and rising prices were their biggest challenges.
“Apart from eroding their working capital, exchange rate volatilities make effective business planning impossible and increase the cost of doing business,” he noted.
To address these issues, he announced that the 2025 Budget would introduce far-reaching measures, in collaboration with the Bank of Ghana, to stabilise the exchange rate and control inflation.
