Business News of Wednesday, 4 October 2023

Source: bbc.com

Ghanaian protesters turn ire on central bank - BBC report on #OccupyBoG demo

Protesters at the #OccupyBoG march Protesters at the #OccupyBoG march

Hundreds of protesters are marching in Ghana’s capital, Accra, calling for the resignation of the governor of the Bank of Ghana and his two deputies over the loss of about 60bn Ghanaian cedis ($5.2bn; £4.3bn) in the 2022 financial year.

The protest, dubbed #OccupyBoG and led by the minority members of Ghana’s parliament, has seen protesters dressed in red shirts, scarfs and berets chanting songs and holding banners - some reading “stop the looting, we are suffering”.

Ghanaians collect placards from a pick-up truck as they gather to protest against the deteriorating economic conditions in the country and against the Bank of Ghana, a demonstration organised by the opposition party, National Democratic Congress (NDC), in Accra on October 3, 2023.

The demonstrators also expressed their anger over the proposed use of more than $250m for the construction of new headquarters for the central bank amidst the economic hardships faced by Ghanaians.

The West African country is facing its worst economic hardship in over a generation marred by soaring inflation of over 40%, a high cost of living crisis and huge public debt.

The government introduced tough measures including increasing utility tariffs and taxes to boost domestic revenue.

Last May, the cocoa- and gold-rich country secured a $3bn loan from the IMF to help ease the economic problems it faces.