The Northern Development Authority (NDA) is yet to recover more than GH¢2.3 million from beneficiaries of more than 2,000 tricycles that were sold to them as soft loans.

The tricycles were sold to beneficiaries at subsidized prices to help improve the economic standards of persons living within the NDA jurisdiction.

But the policy was heavily criticized for being encapsulated in corruption with some of the administrators accused of cheaply selling the tricycles to themselves.

2,037 tricycles valued at GH¢7 million were sold to farmers on credit contrary to the Board of the Authority’s decision and only GH¢4.7 million has so far been recovered with more than GH¢2.3 million in arrears.

Speaking at the Public Accounts Committee sitting on January 20, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Development Authority, Sumaila Abdul-Rahman said the authority is taking the necessary steps to have the arrears recovered.

The Committee asked what the Authority was going to do to recover the outstanding monies and Mr. Abdul-Rahman said it is trying its best to recover the money including engaging the services of a debt collection firm.

“We have made some recoveries, but we have not recovered the total amount. We have recovered GH¢185,000. We have however had conversations with the defaulters, and they are willing to pay, and they have presented a payment plan.

“The other thing we are considering is engaging a debt collection company to go after these debtors to redeem the loans.”

Two deputy CEOs of the NDA, Patrick Seidu and Stephen Yir-engu Engmen were recently dismissed from office amidst corruption charges levelled against the Authority.