Ghana has seen a series of street protests in Accra, Ghana, as the country grapples with an economic crisis and corruption scandals. At least 49 people were arrested by the police in Accra, who tried to prevent protesters from storming the Jubilee House to protest over the high cost of living. The protesters, who were organized by Democracy Hub, were physically assaulted by the police, who were attempting to show anger over the hardships in the West African country. A few columnists were captured and later delivered. The protest was organized by Democracy Hub, a governance advocacy group that condemned the use of “brute force to thwart a peaceful protest”.
Ghana’s largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), described the police-civilian clash as a “shame” and criticized the government for using force to quell civilian protests. Ghana, once seen as a symbol of good governance in Africa, is grappling with high unemployment, with 12 percent of its youth unemployed and another 65 percent underemployed. The country’s public debt rose to $49.7 billion at the end of April, and the major cocoa exporter has defaulted on debt payments to preserve its central bank’s foreign reserves. The country is currently on a $3bn IMF relief support over the next three years, making it the African country most indebted to the institution.
