Statue of ex-Ghana President Akufo-Addo destroyed

Published 8:20 PM ET, Wednesday January 15, 2025

Ghana: (BBC ) – A statue of Ghana’s immediate former president, Nana Akufo-Addo, put up at the end of last year, has been destroyed.

The unveiling by Akufo-Addo of his own likeness in November in the country’s Western Region sparked a social media backlash, as well as being mocked and described as “self-glorification.”

Its launch had been in honour of the president’s development initiatives.

On Monday, local media shared images showing the statue in a ruined state, with its severed head lying on the ground. It is not clear who had targeted the sculpture or what the motive was and the police have not commented.

The torso also appears to have been destroyed, and only a damaged pedestal remains in place.

The statue was made of a mixture of metal, wire mesh, clay, fibre glass and resin, the sculptor Justice Gaisie said.

Akufo-Addo stepped down as president last week after serving two terms in power. His party’s candidate to replace him was heavily defeated in December’s presidential election.

The statue had already been partially vandalised last month, with one leg being damaged.