Hundreds of Ghanaians protested in Accra on Saturday, voicing their frustration over power outages impacting businesses and daily life throughout the country.
Wearing red and black attire, with leaders donning red berets, the protesters marched through the capital, urging the government to stabilise the power supply.
The large crowd caused significant traffic delays in the evening with many chanting patriotic songs while carrying kerosene lanterns to highlight their struggles.
Despite being among the first African nations to pursue aggressive electrification, Ghana faces chronic power shortages and challenges in expanding capacity to meet increasing demand.
Known as the #DumsorMustStop vigil – “dumsor” meaning power cuts, the protest was organised by prominent Ghanaian actress and film producer Yvonne Nelson.
“I am feeling the heat, and I am here to voice out,” Nelson told pressmen.
Ghanaian comedian DKB who joined the protest said: “These unannounced power outages are killing our craft. We need stable electricity to thrive.”
Anita Twumasi, a trader who was visibly distressed shared how the power outages affected her six-month-old baby.
“My baby cannot stand the heat. Every time the power goes off, I worry for her health,” she said.
The #DumsorMustStop demonstrators blame the power outages on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s alleged failure to pay for necessary fuel.
Some slogans on their banners read: “Electricity is a right, not a privilege,” “NPP, you’ve failed the youth,” and “No light, no progress.”
Ghana has struggled with electricity over the years, and it has become a major theme of campaigns, ahead of the elections in December.
Many traders lamented the loss of business due to the frequent power outages.