Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party and cousin of the former finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta, has said he hopes that a protest staged by the pressure group “Arise Ghana” at the United States Embassy in Accra is “for a good cause”.
Speaking in an interview with the political media platform 1957 News, Otchere-Darko said he had not followed developments on social media but he hoped that the demonstration was well intended.
“I hope whatever the demonstration is [is] for a good cause,” he said.
The protest
Otchere-Darko’s comments came as Arise Ghana began mounting a picket at the US Embassy, demanding the return of Ofori-Atta, who has been outside the country.
The group’s lead convenor, Bernard Mornah, said the protesters are prepared to remain at the embassy for an extended period if the former finance minister does not return to Ghana.
“Our initial notification to the Ghana Police was for an indefinite protestation and picketing. They requested that we put it into a lot. And so we agreed that the first two weeks would be just to come sit around the United States Embassy,” Mornah told JoyNews.
He noted that the group would reassess its strategy after the initial two weeks, depending on developments surrounding Ofori-Atta’s return to Ghana.
“If the US decides that tomorrow Ken is coming to Ghana, we will terminate our picketing. If Ken is not coming, after two weeks, we will review our operations,” he said.
Mornah stressed that members of the group are prepared to remain at the protest site for as long as necessary to press home their demands.
“We will bring our coal pots, we will bring our mosquito nets, we will bring our lanterns, we will stay here forever from morning till morning until the United States aids Ken’s rendition to Ghana,” he declared.
The protest forms part of growing public agitation by Arise Ghana over the continued stay of the former finance minister outside the country, amid calls for him to return and respond to questions surrounding Ghana’s recent economic challenges.
Ken Ofori-Atta, who served as Finance Minister from 2017 to 2024 under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, played a central role in Ghana’s debt restructuring and IMF bailout negotiations.
His tenure has been the subject of wide debate, with critics blaming him for the economic downturn in Ghana while supporters argue that he steered the economy through unprecedented global shocks.
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