Government’s cancellation of ‘The Convention 2024’ came to us as a shock — Organizers

The Ghanaian government has been accused for shutting down a major Pan-African conference just hours before it was set to begin at the Independence Square, Accra.

The Convention 2024, which was a forum bringing together prominent African leaders and thinkers, was scheduled for Sunday, January 7 to coincide with Ghana's Constitution Day.

According to the organisers, they had received approval for the event from authorities in November 2023.

However, in a shocking last-minute move, the New Africa Foundation, which was coordinating the event, said they received a directive from the government to call off The Convention few hours to the event.

Thousands of attendees had already filled the Independence Square and high-profile speakers like Professor Patrice Lumumba, Julius Malema, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao and Peter Obi.

In a statement, the Foundation expressed "regret" at the cancellation and described it as a "deviation and a devastation to our dignitaries and special guests."

The statement further noted: "This came as a shock to us. We had received all approvals from the government months ago but were given no explanation for this last minute decision. It has caused great disappointment and confusion."