A group of angry National Democratic Congress (NDC) youth in the Afigya Kwabre North District of the Ashanti Region stormed the Akom Axle Load Centre on Monday morning, June 30, 2025, to protest what they described as rampant bribery and corruption being perpetrated by some officials at the facility.
The protestors accused officers at the Load Centre of deliberately allowing overloaded trucks to pass through without proper checks after collecting unrecorded bribes from drivers. According to the youth, this illegal practice is robbing the state of critical revenue that should be used for development projects in education, health, and infrastructure.
Clad in red and black, and wielding placards with inscriptions such as “Stop the Bribes”, “We Need Accountability”, and “Looting Must End Now!”, the demonstrators expressed their frustration over what they described as “state-sanctioned theft” by public officers.
“This is pure stealing,” fumed one of the youth leaders. “Instead of protecting our roads and generating funds for the country, these officials are taking money under the table and allowing overloaded trucks to go free. Ghana is losing millions, and we won’t sit down and watch.”
The youth emphasized that they were acting not only as members of the NDC but as concerned citizens committed to defending the public interest and supporting President John Dramani Mahama’s vision to reset Ghana.
“We believe in H.E. John Mahama’s Reset Ghana agenda. But how can we rebuild the nation when corrupt officers are looting our resources? This is why we’ve hit the streets—to demand justice and accountability,” another protestor declared.
The demonstration, though peaceful at the start, quickly drew a crowd and threatened to disrupt operations at the Centre. It took the timely intervention of the Ashanti Regional Deputy Security Coordinator, Alhaji Nje, and his security team to calm the situation.
“We had prior intelligence of the protest and acted quickly,” Alhaji Nje told journalists. “We engaged with the youth respectfully and assured them that their concerns would not be ignored. Investigations will be launched, and anyone found guilty of corruption will be dealt with according to law.”
Thanks to the swift response from the security team, no violence or property damage was recorded, and operations resumed at the facility shortly after order was restored.
Kwame Yaro, the Afigya Kwabre North NDC Youth Organizer and leader of the protest, submitted a formal petition to the authorities on behalf of the group. He urged government agencies such as the Ghana Highway Authority and the Ministry of Roads and Highways to conduct a full audit into the operations of the Akom Axle Load Centre.
“We’re sending a clear message to every corrupt official: the youth are watching, and we will not allow Ghana’s future to be stolen. This fight is for every Ghanaian,” Yaro said.
The protest has since generated widespread discussion both locally and on social media, with calls for greater transparency, digital monitoring of axle load operations, and a nationwide crackdown on revenue leakages.
As Ghana continues to confront economic challenges, the actions of the NDC youth at Akom have highlighted growing public impatience with corruption and rising demand for responsible governance at all levels.
