On November 6,1978, F.W.K Akuffo Declares State of Emergency
General Fredrick William Kwasi Akuffo,the leader of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) II on November 6th 1978 declared State of emergency.
In the middle of 1978, things were totally out of hands since the inflation rate that thought will be decrease rather increase to 300 per cent which was not good for economic growth in the country.
General Fredrick William Kwasi Akuffo took over from General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong who was forced to resign for general improper conduct and mismanagement of the economy.
Measures put in place to resolve the Economic hardship by the Supreme Military Council II were devaluation of the Cedi. The SMC II devalued the Cedi by 58 per cent. The Idea behind the devaluation was to level the imbalance that existed in the county’s balance of payments.
The SMC II decided to tackle inflation which they felt was the main problem at the time. Inflation which was around 300 per cent was a source of worry for the government. The tax next was also widened especially by tackling companies which had under declared their licenses.
General Fredrick William Kwasi Akuffo knew that the imports and exports sector was infested with lot of problems. He therefore cancelled the Special Unnumbered License (SUL) which had made it possible for the country to be flooded.
Upon the meassures put in place by the SMC II to rescue the economy of the country, unfortunately the country continues to suffer serious economic problems.
Even the world Price of cocoa came down drastically. This meant that less foreign exchange was earned and that put pressure on the government.
The government decided to reduce excess money in the system and not very long after that,the prices of goods shot up so sharply that it was very unbearable. This generally sparked serious strikes involving over 70,000 workers. The most serious one was the one involving the Tema Oil Refinery works which actually stalled all economic activities. It bacame aggravated when the electricity workers joined.
These Economic problems led to the declaration of and passage of the State of Emergency Decree of 1978.
The decree sought to ban strikes, boycotts, and other forms of protests. This was intended a thorough infringement on the rights of the people.
This state of Emergency declared by General Fredrick William Kwasi Akuffo on November 6, 1978 led to his downfall on June 4,1979.