The Ministry of Finance has authorized the release of GH¢43,077,890.22 to settle outstanding arbitral awards owed to members of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG).
The authorization, dated 26th January 2026, follows earlier correspondence from the Ministry of Education dated 4th November 2025, requesting financial clearance to address long-standing compensation and allowance issues affecting CETAG members across the country.
Breakdown of the Arbitral Awards
According to the release document, the approved funds cover three major outstanding obligations arising from decisions by the National Labour Commission (NLC) and institutional delays:
1. All-Year Round Work Compensation (Additional Duties)
CETAG members were awarded GH¢6,355,771.88 by the NLC on 2nd May 2023. Out of this amount, GH¢4,355,145.66 had already been paid by the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, leaving an outstanding balance of GH¢1,818,626.22, which is now fully approved for payment.
2. Book and Research Allowance Top-Up (2023/2024 Academic Year)
An amount of GH¢41,222,024.00 was awarded by the NLC to support CETAG members for the 2023/2024 academic year. This full amount forms a significant portion of the released funds.
3. Akrokerri College of Education – Research Allowance Top-Up (2022/2023 Academic Year)
A further GH¢37,240.00 was approved to address delays in the submission of required data by Akrokerri College of Education.
Funding Source and Compliance
The total expenditure of GH¢43,077,890.22 will be charged to the Compensation of Employees Vote of the Ministry of Education under the 2026 financial year. The Ministry of Finance has also reminded the Ministry of Education to ensure strict compliance with the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) and other relevant procurement and financial regulations in executing the payments.
Significance of the Release
This release represents a major step toward resolving prolonged financial obligations to college of education tutors and is expected to ease tensions while reinforcing government’s commitment to honoring legally binding arbitral awards.
The authorization was signed by Hon. Thomas Nyarko Ampem, MP, Deputy Minister of Finance, on behalf of the Minister.
