Ghanaians attend #dumsormuststop vigil to protest power cuts
An estimated 1500 Ghanaians went on a vigil in the capital Accra to protest the worsening power cuts in the country. The vigil initiated by actress Yvonne Nelson and some other artistes was under the hashtag #dumsormuststop.
The protesters carried candles, lanterns, rechargeable lamps and local kerosene tin lamps known as ‘bobo’.
The vigil, which started at the entrance of the University of Ghana ended at the Tetteh Quarshie Roundabout where the artistes addressed the protesters.
The protest was generally peaceful, giving the police very little or no work at all to do. But a minor incident nearly marred the peace. About four young men attended the protest wearing T-shirts countering the message of the protesters. They wore T-shirts with the inscription ‘JM WILL FIX DUMSOR’. These men were asked to take off their T-shirts, by some of the private security present at the event, but they refused, and the T-shirts were torn off their backs, some protesters attempted to burn the T-shirts – they quietly walked off without any incidence.
The protesters like all other Ghanaians are demanding an end to the power cuts that have made life very difficult for ordinary citizens and businesses.
The Ghana government has ordered emergency barges with the capacity to generate a total of 1000 megawatts of electricity.
The government is hoping to increase power generation from 2,300 to 5,000 megawatts by 2017.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi