Hundreds of Ghanaians took to the streets of the country’s capital, Accra, this weekend to demand the resignation of the president, Nana Akufo-Addo, over the inflationary explosion recorded in the country in recent months.
The protest «Kume Preko» («For this, you better kill me», in the Akan language) takes its name precisely from a huge march led by Akufo-Addo himself in 1995 against the then president Jerry John Rawlings because of the high cost of living.
Now, critics of the current president have rescued that name to demand his departure from power, as well as the resignation of the vice president, Mahamudu Bawumia, and the finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, mainly because of the 37 percent spike in inflation during the last few months.
One of the main organizers of the protest, lawyer Martin Kpebu, has given the three until Wednesday, November 9, to resign because Ghanaians «can no longer stand the pressure and are suffocating».
Kpebu, in his speech reported by the news portal News Ghana, has asked the president of the Ghanaian Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford, to assume power and immediately present an initiative to reduce taxes and fuel prices.
Although last week the president admitted that the country was going through a «deep crisis», this Sunday from his formation, the New Patriotic Party, all calls for his resignation have been rejected. The group’s spokesman, Richard Ahiagbah, has described Kpebu’s demands as an exaggeration.
«My brother Kpebu has gone off on an emotional tangent and instead of looking for solutions he’s just stirring up the population. I would almost say it has personal overtones,» he said in comments picked up by Ghana Web.
The Ghanaian government is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund for a multi-billion loan to save its ailing economy.
Negotiations had been put on hold in 2016, when Akufo-Addo promised that the country could emerge without foreign aid through his «Ghana Beyond Aid» program.
However, on July 1, 2022, the president announced that he would again seek IMF assistance, days after new protests over high prices in Accra, a consequence of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
