Dr. Maxwell Opoku Afari, the first Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), announced that the government has completed payments to all individuals who chose to opt out of the domestic debt exchange programme (DDEP) last year.

He also mentioned that institutions that participated in the program have begun receiving their payments, both in cash and kind. Dr. Opoku Afari made these statements on behalf of the BoG Governor at the launch of the Commercial Paper Market by the Ghana Stock Exchange.

He emphasized the central bank's commitment to ensuring timely payments to attract more investors.

“So far the market has been calm, backed by some recent debt servicing by the government. On various due dates, the government has paid all cash coupons and payments in kind coupons on the domestic debt exchange bonds. The government has also paid all individuals who opted out of the domestic debt exchange exercise”, he said.

Additionally, he stated that the government has commenced payments to institutional holders who did not participate in the domestic debt exchange programme.

“In the last two weeks, about ₵200 million was paid to institutional investors. Economic activities are picking up” he disclosed.

The launch of the Commercial Paper Market underscores the Exchange's commitment to introducing new investment products catering to both short-term and long-term investors on the Ghana Stock Exchange.

Dr. Afari, serving as the Chairman of the Fixed Income Market Council, encouraged investors to capitalize on the current economic climate to increase their investments in the private sector. He also urged the managers of the Ghana Stock Exchange to innovate and introduce new products to the market.