ACCRA – The Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) has fired a sharp warning at well-heeled beneficiaries—many linked to the governing New Patriotic Party—who have yet to repay funds originally intended to lift struggling traders and micro-businesses out of poverty.
In a strongly worded public notice issued on Monday, 15 September, MASLOC reminded individuals, groups and institutions that every cedi owed must be settled by 30 September 2025 or face a public reckoning. “Beneficiaries are cautioned that MASLOC funds are public resources intended to support the growth of small businesses across Ghana. Abuse or neglect of repayment obligations undermines this national effort and will be met with firm corrective measures,” the management statement said.
Threat of Public Exposure
MASLOC signalled it will not hesitate to publish the names of defaulters in newspapers, on the radio and on television. Legal recovery proceedings and a ban on access to future state credit lines are also being considered. The Centre stressed that these are not idle threats but measures designed to “safeguard the sustainability of the programme”.
Funds Diverted from the Grassroots
Set up to nurture small and medium-sized enterprises, MASLOC loans were never intended as easy money for political insiders. Civil society advocates argue that politically connected borrowers—including party financiers and local NPP power brokers—have long treated the scheme as a private purse, thereby choking off the credit lifeline for petty traders, market women, and small workshop owners.
Mounting Public Anger
With economic pressures biting and youth unemployment rising, the idea that “greedy bigwigs” are sitting on funds meant for the poor is fuelling public resentment. Anti-corruption campaigners have called on the government to back MASLOC with swift prosecutions and to prove that recovery efforts will not be blunted by party loyalties.
A Test of Political Will
Whether MASLOC’s ultimatum signals a genuine clampdown or another round of empty threats will depend on the response from those who owe. For the ruling party, ensuring that its own influential supporters are not shielded from repayment could become a litmus test of its commitment to fairness and fiscal responsibility.
MASLOC’s deadline stands: pay up by the end of September or be named and shamed. For many watching in Ghana’s markets and workshops, the question is simple—will the government really call its own to account?
Source: thehawknewspaper.com
