Traffic in the nation’s capital, Accra on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, ground to a halt for the greater part of the day, as thousands of protestors hit the streets in demand for the removal of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana and his two deputies.
The protestors clad in a sea of red and black poured out onto some principal streets of Accra to express their dissatisfaction with the management of the Bank of Ghana (BoG). The protest, known as #OccupyBoGDemo, also highlighted concerns about the prevailing economic hardships that have pushed many into poverty and despair.
This protest brought together a diverse group of participants, including the young, old, disabled, women, and men from various backgrounds. It was a collective expression of what one protester referred to as the “anger of the masses.”
Leading the demonstration were members of the Minority in Parliament and prominent figures from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and their allied groupings.
The demonstrators sang patriotic songs, war songs, and the national anthem as they marched through the streets. Placards bore messages such as “Debt is killing us,” “Bawumia, Ken, Addison, the day of reckoning is coming,” “Addison must go,” “Students are suffering,” and “Misgovernor Addison.”
The protest was triggered by allegations from the Minority in Parliament, accusing Dr Addison and his deputies of mismanaging the BoG, engaging in illegal activities, and supporting the government’s reckless spending by printing over GH¢22 billion without parliamentary approval. The BoG, however, refuted these claims, stating that the funds in question were net claims by the government and not newly printed currency.
The protest leaders have indicated that this demonstration may not be the last, as they are determined to continue until they can personally present their petition to the BoG Governor. When they attempted to present their petition at the BoG, they were met by the Director of Safety and Security, Wing Commander Kwame Asare Boateng (retired), who explained that the Governor was unavailable due to a meeting with IMF officials. The protest leaders found this disrespectful and vowed to persist until the Governor personally accepted their petition.
Source: Newsalertgh