Protesters gather at Obra Spot for #OccupyBoG Demo organized by the NDC minority group in Parliament, Arise Ghana, and others.
Alleging mismanagement and careless spending, including the building of the new head office, they demand the resignation of the governor of the Bank of Ghana.
Protesters include prominent lawmakers Francis-Xavier Sosu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and Bede Ziedeng.
— CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) October 3, 2023
Meanwhile, as a result of a disagreement over the protest’s route between the Ghana Police Service and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority, tensions are rising ahead of this morning’s planned #OccupyBoG demonstration.
A predetermined route for the #OccupyBoG protest had been announced in advance by the Ghana Police Service, allowing protestors to march from Obra Spot at Kwame Nkrumah Circle to Independence Square.
Police, however, disallowed access to Bank of Ghana locations due to security reasons.
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the minority leader, disagreed with this choice and insisted that the police should let NDC MPs and their leadership go to the Central Bank to present Governor Addison with their petition.
“Our position is that the protesters may end at the beginning of the security zone, but the leadership of parliament must be allowed into the central bank to present our petition,” Dr. Forson emphasized during an interview on Joy FM.
The NDC MPs are demanding the immediate resignation of the governors of the Bank of Ghana, alleging mismanagement of the country’s fiscal space and connecting it to the problems facing the economy.
While ASP Grace Ansah-Akrofi, the Police Director of Public Affairs, claimed that the Minority and the police had reached an understanding regarding the protest route, Dr. Ato Forson refuted this assertion, claiming that the group had not specifically agreed on the police’s proposed route.
The police made significant road closure announcements in designated areas as part of the protest measures. “The road from the Independence Square in front of the National Lotteries towards the old Parliament House will be temporarily blocked to vehicular traffic during the demonstration,” mentioned ASP Ansah-Akrofi.
