Hundreds of Ghanaians, on Saturday, November 5, 2022 took to the streets in the capital, Accra, to register their displeasure over the current economic hardship in the country.
The protesters, who wore red and black, marched through some principal streets chanting patriotic songs amidst calls for the resignation of top government officials for what they described as ”nonperformance”.
The march which lasted into the late hours of the afternoon started early hours of the morning where protests began from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle through the 28th February Road to the Liberia Road and ended at Independence Square.
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as, “resign or be impeached, Sika mp3 mismanagement, Electronic Transfer Levy Act, 2022 (Act 1075) is a killer law, new constitution for a new generation. ”
The demonstration, dubbed: “Kume Preko”, an Akan phrase meaning Kill me at once, was led by Martin Kpebu, a Private legal Practitioner.
Addressing the protesters at the Independence Square, Mr Martin Kpebu, said the protest was necessary to indicate to the Government that all was not well.
He said the prevailing economic hardship was unprecedented, attributing it largely to the excessive borrowing on the part of the Government.
Prices of goods and services, including fuel, have seen an astronomical rise over the last couple of months.
Currently, a litre of petrol is selling at GH¢17, while diesel is selling at GH¢23.49 at the pumps.
Transport fares have also risen significantly with commercial transport operators attributing the situation to the continuous hikes in fuel prices at the pumps.
Mr. Kpebu was emphatic about his calls for resignations and said a Petition would be presented to Parliament to that effect.
While commending protesters for ensuring an incident-free protest, Mr Kpebu praised the police for exhibiting a high sense of professionalism.
Mr Oliver Barker-Vormawor, Converner, “Fix the Country Movement ”, said the current economic crisis must not be underestimated.
“We have said from the very beginning that problems that we are faced today and where we are now are as a result of political class. There is a gap between the political class and the governed. They do not listen, they are not held to any account and we have always said that we should structurally reform this country, we must have a conversation about our Constitution. That conversation cannot be deferred,” he posited.
Security Analyst, Adib Sani who was one of the organizers for the demonstration said their move must not be given a political clout, but rather looked at through the citizen of Ghana lenses.
”…….it is about Ghana……., he noted.
Among the groups that joined the hardship demonstrators were, ”Arise Ghana”, ”Fix the Country”, Politicians, Women’s Groups, and Civil Society Organizations.