“When you pay contractors, everyone benefits including side chicks” — President of Ghana, John Mahama

Ghana’s President, John Mahama, has underscored the wider economic impact of timely payments to government contractors, arguing that the flow of funds extends beyond project sites into multiple layers of the economy.

Speaking at a public engagement, he explained that when contractors are paid for completed government work, the money is quickly redistributed through spending and consumption across different sectors.

“When contractors get paid, they go buy Land Cruisers for themselves, car dealers also benefit,” he said, describing how expenditure spreads into the automotive market and related services.

He further added that the financial impact reaches households and personal networks tied to contractors, noting the informal ways money circulates after payment.

“The spouses, the wives and the side chics also benefit because when you are paid and they get something, they give their wives and side chics some of the money,” he said.

Mahama continued by pointing to small and medium-scale businesses that are indirectly supported through this spending pattern.

“Hairdressers get, dressmakers get, jewelry shops get, handbags sellers get… so do not discount it at all,” he added.

His comments have since drawn wide attention online, largely due to the informal phrasing used to illustrate how government expenditure moves through different parts of the economy after contractor payments are made.