Pupils abandon classes to wave at Ouattara on the streets

Classes were halted for some basic school pupils in the national capital, Accra, as they spent parts of Monday morning and afternoon lined up along principal streets to welcome the President of Cote d’Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara.

The pupils, holding Ghanaian and Ivorian flags, were waiting for a scheduled ceremonial procession involving President Ouattara.
This kind of practice, which is very common in Ghana, has been condemned by many, as they believe it constitutes abuse of these children.

Pupils from the Adabraka Presby School on the Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, had been waiting for about an hour for the procession to come their way when Citi News visited the area, which was free of vehicular traffic except for some police vehicles and commercial motorbikes [Okada].
Some pupils, who were being supervised by some of their teachers, looked bored, whilst others were beaming with some excitement at the impending appearance of President Ouattara

The roads where the pupils lined up, were among some of the roads which had been closed down by the Accra Regional Police Command temporarily, in anticipation of the visit of the Ivorian President.
The roads affected by the closures are the Kwame Nkrumah Avenue towards the Central Business District, Liberation Road towards Central Business District, and the Atta Mills Highway from James Town towards Osu.

The roads were closed from 11: 00 am, and are to be reopened after a scheduled ceremonial procession.
President Ouattara arrived in Ghana around 11: 30, and was welcomed by a delegation led by President Nana Akufo-Addo.