Minority gets police approval for #OccupyBoGProtest

The Minority in Parliament has received clearance from the police administration to embark on their much touted #OccupyBOG protest on September 5, 2023.

The group had requested permission from the police on Monday, August 21, 2023, following which the police invited them for a meeting on Tuesday, August 22, 2023.

In a statement on August 23, 2023, signed by Deputy Minority Leader and MP for Ellembelle, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Minority confirmed “fruitful” discussions with the Police.

“The discussions were cordial as the police, led by the Regional Police Commander, laid out their propositions and arrangements for the protest march. The minority, on our part, reiterated our commitment to a peaceful protest. Both parties committed to working together to ensure a peaceful protest march,” the statement read in part.

The minority and their party, the NDC, had accused the BOG governor, Dr. Ernest Addison, of mismanagement after the bank reported a GHC 60 billion loss in its 2022 financial report, issuing him a 21-day ultimatum to resign.

The BOG, however, had argued that the losses were attributable to the bank’s absorption of impairment losses from the government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).

The NDC had also criticised the BOG for allocating US$250 million for its new corporate headoffice, raising value-for-money and procurement issues.

Since the announcement by the Minority on August 8 to embark on the protest should the BOG leadership not resign, other pressure groups, including Arise Ghana and FixTheCountry, have expressed their interest in joining in.