Year In Review: Demonstrations that rocked Ghana

2022 is undoubtedly one of the most challenging years Ghanaians have faced in terms of the performance of the country's economy.

The year saw prices of commodities increasing consistently beyond levels seen in the recent past. The country's currency also depreciated at unconscionable rates which many economists have said is the cause of the hardships in Ghana.

In addition to the economic hardships, the menace of corruption in Ghana seems to be on the increase with the country's stance on the global corruption index dropping. The Auditor General's reports and other reports cite the involvement of government officials in instances of corruption as well as allegations of top government officials being involved in illegal small-scale mining (galamsey).

To express their discontent, many Ghanaians poured out on the streets of Accra and other parts of the country to demonstrate against the government. This article takes a look at four demonstrations that rocked Ghana in 2022.

Arise Ghana Demonstration

The two-day demonstration by the pressure group, Arise Ghana, which took place from Tuesday, June 28 to Wednesday, June 29, was one of the demonstrations in 2022 that shook Ghana.

Even before the demonstration started, there was a standoff between the organisers of the demonstration and the Ghana Police Services on the modalities it should follow. The demonstration was also endorsed by leading political figures including members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) as well as members of civil society organisations in Ghana.

Arise Ghana demonstrators clashed with police on Day 1 of their mass action. There was chaos as police fired teargas at protesters while they [protesters] also pelted stones at the police. According to multiple reports, the chaos was over confusion on the route to use.



The clash resulted from a disagreement over the route demonstrators were to use and an attempt by the protesters to march towards the presidency.

The police announced the arrest of 29 people in connection with violent incidents that marred the June 28, 2022, Arise Ghana demonstration at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

The Ghana Police Service even declared the organisers of the demonstration wanted, stating that they would be arrested for their role in the incidents that happened on the first day of the protest.

The police said the leaders will be held responsible for the attacks and damage to public property after the protests turned chaotic at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange.

However, the second day of the demonstration [June 29] was incident-free and elicited commendation from the Ghana Police Service.


WeBeCitizens Demonstration against the Auditor-General

Another demonstration that made news headlines in 2022 was the WeBeCitizens demonstration against the Auditor General of Ghana. Even though the demonstration was not massive in terms of numbers, the caliber of Ghanaians who took part in it made it impactful.

Over 15 CSOs, under the umbrella name Coalition for Democratic Accountability and Inclusive Governance or Citizen Coalition, protested the failure of the AG's office to retrieve billions of funds lost to financial irregularities on state accounts.

As part of their demands, the group demanded that the AG exercise its constitutional mandate to disallow and surcharge for such irregularities.

The 2021 Auditor General's report shows that Ghana lost some GHC 17 billion in financial irregularities.

But according to the CSOs, it was incumbent on the A-G to implement measures that ensure the recovery of such funds back to the state, hence their decision to protest.

As part of their protest, the group converged at the Afua Sutherland Children's Park and moved through some of the principal streets of the national capital, through the Auditor General's office, and finally ended at Black Star Square.

Prominent members of the Coalition who joined the protest include lawyer Akoto Ampaw, lawyer Samson Ayenini, lawyer Martin Kpebu, Kofi Asare of Africa Education Watch, Nana Ama Agyemang Asante, Edem Senanu, Akwasi Pumpuni and Kofi Bentil.

NABCO trainees protest unpaid stipend

In February, scores of trainees of the Nation Builders' Corps (NABCo) programme hit the streets of Accra, demonstrating against the government's inability to offer them permanent employment.

In addition to the demand for permanent employment, the trainees will also be seeking the payment of arrears owed them, ranging from four to eight months.

The trainees who converged at the Obra Sport- Circle- were clad in red and black attire to show their frustration carrying placards with various sentiments on the abrupt end of the programme.

They moved to the Independent Square to present a petition to the Chief Executive Officer of NABCO, Dr. Ibrahim Anyars.



'Kume Preko Reloaded':

The 'Kume Preko Reloaded' demonstration, organised by renowned legal practitioner Martin Kpebu, also made waves in Ghana, mainly because of the demands of the demonstrators. The demonstration was over economic hardships in the country fueled by high inflation rates and was held on November 5, 2022.

Kpebu led hundreds of demonstrators who marched through the capital, demanding the immediate resignation of President Akufo-Addo over Ghana's current economic woes.



Addressing protesters during the march, he said: "We are dying; citizens are dying; citizens can't afford food; citizens are starving, all because of misgovernance by President Akufo-Addo.

"It never happened that you have a president in office, and every time that the country borrows, the president's family becomes richer; how? This can't continue.

"We can't borrow all the time and have Databank becoming richer all the time. Citizens have a duty, as stated in Article 41 [of the Constitution], to ask the president to resign, and this is not the first time that a president of Ghana is going to resign," Martin Kpebu said.



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