Dozens of Ghanaians in the United Kingdom on Saturday hit the streets to register their protest against a military deal Ghana has signed with the US.
The Ghanaians, who are members of the Ghana Action for Pan Afrikan Resistance, are demonstrating against President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the London School of Economics, where the Ghanaian leader is scheduled to speak after attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
The deal, which has been ratified by Ghana’s Parliament, gives the US military and its civilian personnel unimpeded access to certain installations in Ghana, including tax wavers. The main opposition National Democratic Congress and other pressure groups including the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) have been part of a protest to withdraw the deal or revise it to safeguard the sovereignty of the West African nation.
The London protestors are wielding placards some of which read: “President Akufo-Addo must create jobs, not US military bases,” “You put America first, let’s put Africa first. Cancel the deal,” and “President Akufo-Addo don’t sell Ghana to the Americans.”
They were chanting: “Nana Addo is a traitor… Africa is for Africa. Ghana is not for sale.”
However, President Akufo-Addo in an address to the nation a few weeks ago, stressed his government will go ahead with it since it does not infringe on the West African country’s sovereignty.
He slammed the opposition NDC describing them as “hypocrites” and “cynics” for twisting the facts in the US military agreement. He added that he is outraged by comments from his political opponents that he has sold the sovereignty of the nation to the United States of America.
“I will never be the president that will compromise or sell the sovereignty of our country. I respect deeply the memory of the great patriots whose sacrifice and toil brought about our independence and freedom,” Akufo-Addo said in the address to the nation.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
