General News of Tuesday, 23 April 2024
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2024-04-23IMANI Africa responds to Yvonne Nelson's call for dumsor protest
Franklin Cudjoe
Ghanaian
Franklin Cudjoe, the President of IMANI Africa, has affirmed the think tank's stance against succumbing to external pressure to organize a demonstration against the government concerning the ongoing power outages, known as "dumsor."
In response to calls for action, particularly from actress Yvonne Nelson, Cudjoe stated that IMANI would proceed
Read full articlewith their protest at their own discretion, welcoming individuals who share their concerns to organize their own demonstrations.
Taking to Facebook, Cudjoe disclosed IMANI's preparations for a protest against the persistent dumsor crisis, asserting their independence in selecting partners for the protest.
Yvonne Nelson's call for action echoes widespread frustration over recent intermittent power outages, with many Ghanaians demanding clarity and accountability from the authorities, particularly the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
"Imani Ghana, can we organize another vigil? I've been waiting for you to reach out like you did years back. (your team made our demo a success) Im reaching out myself. The NPP and its leadership Nana Akufo-Addo have taken Ghanaians for granted. #DUMSORMUSTSTOP," she wrote.
While Nelson expressed readiness to collaborate with IMANI, Cudjoe emphasized IMANI's prerogative to choose their allies for the protest, indicating their intention to determine the timing and participants independently.
"We have heard the call by the redoubtable Ms. Yvonne Nelson for round two of #dumsormuststop. Fair call even as we (IMANI) have maintained our criticism of government's bad decisions for what often seem like a rudderless leadership, the latest dumsor episodes being the zenith. So as you can see ( T-shirts), we are preparing and we will make the call and choose how we demonstrate and who we want to partner at the right time. Meanwhile, others can also organise their own unique protests in churches, mosques, bars, schools and homes," Cudjoe wrote.
Bright Simons, Vice President of IMANI, also criticized Yvonne Nelson for selective engagement, highlighting IMANI's ongoing advocacy efforts regarding energy issues and questioning Nelson's lack of amplification of such work.
Simons underscored the importance of consistent support beyond moments of public outcry, prompting reflection on Nelson's involvement in broader advocacy initiatives beyond immediate concerns.
"We've been chasing ECG, pursuing CWM matters, fighting over gas value chain issues (a la Genser), probing power tariff proposals, highlighting IPP debt buildup etc etc. I'm afraid I've never seen Ms. Nelson amplify any of that work. Ever. Not even a retweet. Now, why is that?" Simons wrote.
