The vice president of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons, has provided details on the economic variables of Ghana when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led the famous ‘Kume Preko’ demonstration against the government of the late Jerry John Rawlings in 1995.
In a tweet shared on Monday, November 14, Simons intimated that Ghana’s economy is in a far worse position now compared to the time the current president led the ‘kume preko’ protest.
“The massive Kume Preko protests in 1995 have been in the news lately as some observers compare the current economic crisis in Ghana to what existed then. But how do 1995 & 2022 REALLY compare? Well, some things are eerily similar, a few are better & more, esp debt, are worse,” parts of the tweet read.
The details he shared showed that the depreciation of Ghana’s currency to the US dollar, which is currently 52 percent, was a little over 27 percent in 1995.
Also, the ratio of Ghana’s debt stock to its GDP was worse in the “Kume Preko” era than now.
The rate of inflation, however, is better now, compared to 1995.
Background on “Kume Preko”:
About 27 years ago, the biggest demonstration to have occurred in Ghana’s history took place.
Those at the forefront of this protest were Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, Kwasi Pratt Jnr, Dr Nyaho Tamakloe, Abdul Malik Kwaku Baako, Akoto Ampaw, Victor Newman, Kwaku Opoku, Napoleon Abdulai and was also joined by some 100,000 people.
What was termed as the high cost of living and particularly, the imposition of Value Added Tax (VAT) on items fuelled the demonstration against the then Rawlings administration?
According to reports, it was a period in which able-bodied and hardworking citizens could not afford one decent meal a day for a family.
In addition, the drop-out rate in educational institutions was said to be rising at a very alarming rate.
However, what started as a peaceful protest turned gory when some unidentified assailants opened fire on the demonstrators.
Many sustained severe injuries and others died from the attacks.
Koku Anyidoho, a one-time presidential spokesperson has reacted to the ‘Kume preko‘ reloaded protest that took place over the weekend.
The protest which saw hundreds of Ghanaians clad in red and black and holding placards critical of the government was called by a private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu.
The lawyer decried the spate of economic mismanagement as a core plank for his call for the president and his vice to resign and hand over power to the Speaker of Parliament.
It is that demand that Anyidoho built his views around in a tweet dated November 6, 2022.
It read: “When a lawyer goes on demonstration to ask that the President and Vice President should resign; is he asking for a coup?”
Kpebu speaks at protest
Kpebu led hundreds of demonstrators who marched through the capital on Saturday 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.
What Akufo-Addo said about Ghana being in a crisis
Amid an economic downturn, calls for Akufo-Addo to resign has heightened with a November 5, 2022 protest dubbed ‘Kume Preko Reloaded’ making the loudest call as activists and politicians marched in Accra to press home that demand.
The government is meanwhile, grappling with an economic crisis, which along with the galamsey scourge and corruption are the major drivers for the call on Akufo-Addo to resign along with his Vice President, Mahamadu Bawumia.
Akufo-Addo in his October 30 address on the economy blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as causes for the country’s economic woes.
While admitting that the country was in crisis and rallying support for various government interventions to stem the tide, he said the situation was not peculiar to the country as many nations across the world were also experiencing difficulties.
“We are in a crisis, I do not exaggerate when I say so. I cannot find an example in history when so many malevolent forces have come together at the same time.
“But, as we have shown in other circumstances, we shall turn this crisis into an opportunity to resolve not just the short-term, urgent problems, but the long-term structural problems that have bedevilled our economy,” he said.
But like before, President Akufo-Addo blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as causative factors for the economic woes.
When a lawyer goes on demonstration to ask that the President and Vice President should resign; is he asking for a coup?
Speaking at the “Kume Preko Reloaded” protest on Saturday, November 5, 2022 in Accra, he noted that the President has failed the country and must resign.
“Akufo-Addo has nothing good to offer Ghanaians. He has broken the oath he swore to Ghanaians on December 7. He’s ruling like he’s doing Ghanaians a favor. In the midst of the pandemic and the economic crisis, this is the time he charters private jets for his travels,” he said.
Mr Odike, dressed in a black shirt over a black pair of shorts, marched in solidarity with the other protesters and bemoaned the current economic situation.
“Even if we offer him 100 years he can’t offer Ghanaians any good thing,” he stressed. “The President “can’t help the country. So he should step down for someone to come and continue with the work,” he added.
He also accused the president of poor accountability, emphasising that the president could not account for the COVID-19 fund.
Kume preko reloaded
Dubbed ‘Kume preko reloaded’ the demonstration was to protest the current economic crisis, as was seen in 1995 when Charles Wereko-Brobby led some Ghanaians (including Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who is currently the President) to contest the economic hardship under the Rawlings regime.
Not even an ongoing church service at the Independence Square could stop the Kume Prekodemonstrators from conveying their message to the President, his Vice, and the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Their message was simple; the aforementioned individuals must resign over the current economic hardships or risk being impeached.
The protestors could not fathom why a man who played a key role in the 1995 Kume Preko demonstration would be in power, and supervise the collapse of the economy.
They had been marching from the Obra Spot at Kwame Nkrumah Circle and were hoping to end their march at the Independent Square, as agreed with the Ghana Police Service.
To their utter surprise, there was an ongoing church service at the Independence Square when they got there; a situation that did not sit well with the protestors. There was a little commotion, with some protestors hooting at the church members, however, calm was soon restored.
This incident did not stop them from relaying their message to the president. They converged around the statue of the soldier facing the Independence Arch, and outlined their plights; key among them was a call on the President to immediately “slash the prices of fuel by 50%.”
They lamented the failure of the government to redeem Ghanaians from the situation, as President Akufo-Addo promised.
According to the protestors, the President has plunged the country into extreme poverty, citing the hikes in prices of goods, the fall of the cedi, the astronomical surge in fuel prices, etc.
Some prominent personalities who graced the occasion included Private Legal Practitioner, Martin Kpebu, who was the convenor of this demonstration, #FixTheCountry convenor, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, and a host of others.
A security analyst, Adib Sani, has said protest is an important exercise as it reduces built-up anger against the government in terms of economic crisis.
According to him, protesting prevents people from holding back anger, and speaking out on their frustrations as we are in dangerous times in the country.
“This demonstration is extremely important, the suffering, the uncertainty, the anger is unbelievable and we are saying that it is rather in the best interest on government for us to protest and there is so much anger if people hold it. It will create an explosive charge like the Arab spring, people were angry and they couldn’t talk because they are gagged.”
Adib Sani made the comments at the ‘Kume Preko Reloaded’ demonstration, held on November 5, 2022.
Some Ghanaians showed up in their numbers to demonstrate in demand for better living conditions and also called for the resignation of Akufo-Addo, Bawumia and Ken Ofori-Atta.
The protest started from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and ended at Black Stars Square in Accra.
Dubbed ‘Kume preko reloaded’ the demonstration was to protest the current economic crisis, as was seen in 1995 when Charles Wereko-Brobby led some Ghanaians (including Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who is currently the President) to contest the economic hardship under the Rawlings regime.
Not even an ongoing church service at the Independence Square could stop the Ku me Preko demonstrators from conveying their message to the President, his Vice and the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Their message was simple; the aforementioned persons must resign over the current economic hardships or risk being impeached.
The protestors could not fathom why a man who played a key role in the 1995 Kume preko demonstration would be in power, and supervise the collapse of the economy.
They had been marching from the Obra Spot in Circle and were hoping to end their march at the Independent Square as agreed with the Ghana Police Service.
To their utter surprise, there was an ongoing church service at the Independence Square when they got there; a situation which did not sit down well with the protestors. There was a little agitation, with some protestors hooting at the church members, however, calm was restored shortly.
This incident did not stop them from relaying their message to the President. They converged around the statue of the soldier facing the Independence Arch, and outlined their plights; key among them was a call on the President to immediately “slash the prices of fuel by 50%.”
They lamented the failure of the government to redeem Ghanaians from the situation, as President Akufo-Addo promised.
According to the protestors, the President has plunged the country into extreme poverty, citing the hikes in prices of goods, the fall of the cedi, the astronomical surge in fuel prices, etc.
Some prominent personalities who graced the occasion included Private Legal Practitioner, Martin Kpebu, who was the convenor of this demonstration, #FixTheCountry convenor, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, and a host of others.
Legal Practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has outlined some of the measures the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, needs to take should President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and his vice Mahamudu Bawumia resign.
According to him, one of the major steps he needs to take is to cushion the Ghanaian economy.
He said the speaker must ensure that taxes, prices of fuel, and basic commodities come down as soon as he assumes office.
“We are saying that when the Speaker of parliament assumes office as president after the resignation of Akufo-Addo and Bawumia, he must take steps to cushion the Ghanaian economy. Times are hard, fuel has gone, everybody is suffering. So, once we are all suffering when the Speaker takes over office, he must roll out plans to reduce some of the taxes, take and find other innovative means to make sure prices of basic commodities and petrol come down.”
The legal practitioner added, “The Speaker must also make sure the cedi is strengthened because as we are all aware the cedi is the worse currency in the world. Once we have gathered here and we are expressed our disgust at the obscene thievery, conflict of interest it means that Akufo-Addo, Bawumia and Akufo-Addo must go.”
Martin Kpebu made the comments at the ‘Kume Preko Reloaded’ demonstration which was held yesterday, November 5, 2022. The protest started from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and ended at Black Stars Square in Accra.
Some Ghanaians showed up in their numbers to demonstrate in demand for better living conditions and also called for the resignation of Akufo-Addo, Bawumia and Ken Ofori-Atta.
The organizers noted that this is to send a “strong message” to the government to act in order to relieve Ghanaians of the challenges they currently face.
They also called for the resignation of the leadership of the country.
History repeated itself on November 5, 2022, as scores of Ghanaians trooped to the Obra spot in Accra to hold the “reloaded” version of the Kume Preko demonstration.
The first time the kume preko protest occurred was in 1995 when Dr Charles Wereko Brobbey led some Ghanaians including President Akufo-Addo to protest the harsh economic conditions, experienced under the Jerry John Rawlings-led administration.
The demonstrators – some clad in red and others in black – were baffled over the fact that President Akufo-Addo who was one of the prominent faces behind the first edition of “Kume preko” is in power, yet the economic conditions keep worsening under his watch.
They, thus, have called on him to immediately resign or roll out some measure to alleviate the hardships.
During the demonstration led by lawyer Martin Kpebu, the protestors rolled out a tall list of needs the President should immediately act on.
Key among them was a request for fuel prices to be slashed by 50% within the next 24 hours.
About 27 years ago, the biggest demonstration to have occurred in Ghana’s history took place.
Those at the forefront of this protest were Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Dr Charles Wreko Brobbey, Kwasi Pratt Jnr, Dr Nyaho Tamakloe, Abdul Malik Kwaku Baako, Akoto Ampaw, Victor Newman, Kwaku Opoku, Napoleon Abdulai and was also joined by some 100,000 people.
What was termed as the high cost of living and particularly, the imposition of Value Added Tax (VAT) on items fuelled the demonstration against the then Rawlings administration?
According to reports, it was a period in which able-bodied and hardworking citizens could not afford one decent meal a day for a family.
In addition, the drop-out rate in educational institutions was said to be rising at a very alarming rate.
However, what started as a peaceful protest turned gory when some unidentified assailants opened fire on the demonstrators.
Many sustained severe injuries and others died from the attacks.
Read the full story originally published on May 23, 1995 by The Statesman
The Stateman’s article on ‘Kume Preko’ and its aftermath
Kume Preko the demonstration against the high cost of living in Ghana particularly, the imposition of Value Added Tax (VAT) on items – has come and gone. But the after-effects of the bloody confrontation between the ACDRs and the marchers are far from over. For some families, the pain has just started. For those who lost husbands, the pain is even more as the burden of caring for the family will now fall on fewer shoulders. Naturally, reports of the horrors committed during the match keep filtering in. Ghana Review presents the story below which is culled from the Ghanaian Chronicle.
Tales of horror – Kume Preko victims recount their ordeal by Olivia Nyarko
After the dust slowly settled on the “Kume Preko” march, tales of untold horror and homicide have started filtering in.
CHRONICLE interviewed some of the relatives of those who were on admission at Korle-Bu for injuries sustained during the demonstration.
Kwabena Gyan, the brother of Yaw Atta who was shot in the chest and scrotum recounted what could well have happened in the back streets of war tone Liberia. The 26-year old secondhand shirts dealer said on that fateful Thursday, most of the sells around the Accra Central Railway station went to the station with the intent of watching the march just as they had done on other occasions when there were demonstrations.
Kwabena Gyan said the savage scene of a beggar who was shot in cold blood by the ACDRs sent all the boys running towards the Central Police Station for refuges, but the ACDRs would not let them go unscathed.
During this chase the brothers were separated. Each fled in the opposite direction. Narrating their ordeal, the wounded Yaw Atta said while standing at the Police station, he saw that his brother, who was at the Cocoa House, which is opposite the Police Station, was stranded on the almost empty street. “Out of panic I tried the last resort of calling and signalling to him to come over to my “safe haven”. Before I was through, blood was dripping from my jeans. I fell backwards, but hemmed in by the ACDR men who were shooting indiscriminately at this time, my brother could not cross over to pick me up”, he recounted.
Moved by his brother’s attempt to save his life, Kwabena Gyan said he braved it out on the street to his injured brother’s side. ” I lifted him from the pool of blood and by a hair’s breadth another bullet missed us from the same guy who shot my brother. After the firing died down, some sympathizers helped them to take him to the Accra Central District Police Headquarters, were he was sent first to the Police Hospital and then later to the Korle-Bu Emergency Ward”, he intimated.
With their double encounter with the ACDR man, Kwabena Gyan swore that he can easily identify him wherever and whenever
he meets him.
Abdulai Rahman Omanu, a cargo truck driver with registration number GM 5756 was also shot in the head at the Rawlings Park on the same Thursday.
Osmanu, who was on admission at Korle-Bu could not talk for three days. Finally when he could talk, he gave a tearful account of what happened to him. He said, that morning, he had just arrived from Kumasi at the CMB station but had no idea of the “Kume Preko” march , so he told his mate to look after the foodstuffs while he went to deliver an important message to a relative.
However, Osmanu never got to his destination. He said: “At the Rawlings Park I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my head. Then I fell on my face. Afterwards, I woke up in hospital”.
Meanwhile, a sympathiser, Mr Kwadjo Kusi, who had come to visit a friend at the Emergency ward is taking care of him and making efforts to contact Osmanu’s wife and two children in Kumasi.
According to another eyewitness who wanted to remain anonymous, a young boy was selling yoghurt was confronted by ACDRs around UTC. He said they seized his yoghurt, consumed some and threw the rest into a nearby gutter. Then one of them hit the boy’s head with an akpeteshie bottle.
Fearing for his life, the boy attempted to run, but about four of the ACDRs grabbed him from behind, while another shaved his hair clean with the broken bottle. Then they started a deadly game of piercing his clean-shaven head with pieces of the broken bottle. The more blood spattered out, the more the boy cried in agony, and the more thugs continued with their new found game, until he dropped unconscious in his own blood.
On that same street, about 25 men in ACDR T-shirts rushed on and beat workers at the Republic House mercilessly.
A worker of the Ghana Supply Commission (GSC) gave CHRONICLE an eye witness account. He said some of the workers were standing on the frontier of the Commercial Bank as they normally do, when a group of ACDR men attacked them. Mr Amoah, a worker at GSC sustained injuries on his shoulder. “We later sent him to the State Insurance Clinic, where he was treated.”
The source also revealed that the thugs hit Mr Dramanu, a Commercial Bank Official on the mouth with he leg of a broken chair. He said what infuriated him most was when a man who was standing by to pick a taxi was beaten until he was forced to obey nature’s call on the street. “Even when the man was trying to pick his file and mobitel which had been scattered on the floor, these ACDRs wouldn’t allow him. They rather ordered him to run towards the Bank for Housing and Construction”, the source said.
Calls for President Akufo-Addo to resign as Ghana’s president have become intense as hundreds of protestors thronged the streets of Accra.
The aggrieved citizens clad in red and black attires are demonstrating against the country’s current economic state.
The cedi had lost more than 30% of its purchasing power against the US dollar as of September, partly pushing inflation rate to 37.2 per cent, the highest in almost two decades.
The local currency is selling at about GHS13.7182 against the dollar on the forex.
Currently, a litre of petrol is going for about GHS18, and that for diesel, close to GHS24, as such, transport operators have increased transport fares.
Meanwhile Ghanaians are demanding that government should relief the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta as well as the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen of their duties.
Organisers of “KumePreko”demonstration scheduled for today, Saturday, November 05, have cautioned protesters against any act that will mar the essence of the demonstration.
The Organisers said they would not countenance any act of violence, warning they would round up any person or group of persons found engaging in such acts and hand them over to law enforcement agencies.
Addressing a news conference in Accra on Friday ahead of the demonstration, Nii Ayi Opare, Spokesperson of the Economic Fighters League and a member of the Organisers of the “Kume Preko” demo, gave the assurance that the protest would be peaceful.
The demonstration is to among other things, register displeasure over the prevailing economic difficulties as well as demand the resignation of the leadership of the Government.
Nii Opare said the Organisers had notified the Police as per the Public Order Act, and that demonstration routes had also been agreed on.
“Today’s demonstration is going to be a peaceful one and I want to place on record that, the youth of Ghana are law abiding and peace-lovers. No one has to look far from the three main demonstrations under ‘fix the country’ banner. All three that we’ve had were peaceful and without any incident with the police or without.
“To those few elements who are planning to use this demonstration to cause trouble, to engage in any violent activity whatsoever, this is not the space for you, indeed, you will be rooted out by your own and handed over directly to the State institutions to take proper action against you,” he said.
Giving details about the agreed route, Nii Opare said the protesters would converge at the Obra Spot at Kwame Nkrumah Circle at 0700hrs, and march through the 28th February Road to Farisco Junction and then through the Liberia Road to the Independence Square.
Mr Martin Kpebu, the Lead Organiser, said the demonstration had become necessary due to the unprecedented economic hardship currently facing the country.
“It’s clear to you, I mean from the hardship we are all suffering daily, that this country is in an economic quagmire. We’re falling into a deep crater as a result of the reckless borrowing and other forms of mis-governance by President Akufo-Addo.
“We are dying. Citizens are dying, citizens can’t afford food, citizens are starving all because of mal-governance by President Akufo-Addo,” he said.
He asked the leadership of the government to step down, stressing that the prevailing economic challenges were enough reasons for the President and his Vice to resign from office.
“We can’t continue to have this family and friends business. We can’t afford it, not when citizens are dying over 50 pesewas. Now the price of koko has moved from one cedi to three cedis, boflot from one cedi to two cedis, a gallon of oil from GHS500 to GHS1200, and so on and so forth.
“Cement, yes before I forget GHS96 , how on earth? What have we done to deserve this, people of Ghana?”
“What have we done to deserve this? Why? Should we continue to allow this to happen? We can’t take it anymore. We can’t survive this for the next few years. The cause of the problem must leave, that is President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia,” Mr Kpebu said.
Mr Adib Saani, a Security Analyst and a member of the Organisers, stressed that under no circumstance should any protester be armed.
He also urged them to adhere to agreed routes for the protest and avoid confrontations with the security officials.
In the midst of economic hardships fueled by high inflation rates, some Ghanaians have dedicated today, November 5, 2022, to demonstrate in demand for better living conditions.
The organizers noted that this is to send a “strong message” to the government to act in order to relieve Ghanaians of the challenges they currently face.
They also called for the resignation of the leadership of the country.
Addressing a news conference in Accra on Friday ahead of the demonstration, Nii Ayi Opare, Spokesperson of the Economic Fighters League and a member of the Organisers of the “Kume Preko” demo, charged protestors to engage in a peaceful exercise.
“Tomorrow’s demonstration is going to be a peaceful one and I want to place on record that, the youth of Ghana are law-abiding and peace-lovers. No one has to look far from the three main demonstrations under the ‘fix the country’ banner. All three that we’ve had were peaceful and without any incidents with the police or without.
“To those few elements who are planning to use this demonstration to cause trouble, to engage in any violent activity whatsoever, this is not the space for you, indeed, you will be routed out on your own and handed over directly to the State institutions to take proper action against you,” he said.
Protestors would converge at the Obra Spot at Kwame Nkrumah Circle at 0700hrs, and march through the 28th February Road to Farisco Junction and then through the Liberia Road to Independence Square.
Martin Kpebu, the Lead Organiser, also said, “It’s clear to you, I mean from the hardship we are all suffering daily, that this country is in an economic quagmire. We’re falling into a deep crater as a result of the reckless borrowing and other forms of misgovernance by President Akufo-Addo.”
“We are dying. Citizens are dying, citizens can’t afford food, citizens are starving all because of mal-governance by President Akufo-Addo,” he said.