The Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Ernest Yedu Addison, has replied the Minority in Parliament over Tuesday’s march demanding his resignation.
Dr Addison told Central Banking that the demonstration dubbed #OccupyBoGProtest “was completely unnecessary” and neither he nor his two deputies intend to step down.
The Minority was demanding Dr Addison’s resignation together with that of his two deputies – Dr Maxwell Opoku-Afari and Elsie Addo Awadzi over mismanagement.
The caucus initially gave the three governors 21 days to resign but after the ultimatum elapsed decided to hit the streets and march to the headquarters of the central bank to demand that physically.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament (MPs) were later incensed by the devotion of over $200 million for the construction of an ultra-modern headquarters in Accra at a time the Bank had recorded losses in its financial books.
They also accused the Bank of writing off government debt to the tune of GH¢48.4 million and overprinting cash for expenditure by government against the Bank of Ghana Act.
“The Minority in Parliament have many channels to channel their grievances in civilised societies, not through demonstrations in the streets as hooligans,” Dr Addison told Central Banking in the interview on Wednesday, October 4.
On the building of the state-of-art headquarters, the Governor said the decision was taken in 2019 “when the bank was profitable and appropriated some of its profits for the new headquarters”.
“It was not a decision taken during a crisis.”
The Minority on Tuesday stopped from presenting the petition to the delegated officials, claiming the Governor disrespected its leadership by sending the Director of Security to face them.
They vowed to return to present the petition personally to Dr Addison.