The Ghana Association of Banks (GAB) has slammed the Okaikwei North Member of Parliament, Theresa Lardi Awuni, over her confrontation with staff of a member bank which remained open during the recent national clean-up exercise on Friday, July 10, 2026.
GAB defended one of its member banks and condemned the alleged conduct of the Member of Parliament for Okaikwei North towards a CalBank worker.
According to GAB, they have taken note of an incident in which the MP reportedly visited the bank’s branch and made disparaging remarks and later indicated that she had contacted the bank’s Managing Director to express her displeasure.
The Ghana Association of Banks disclosed that it became aware of the incident through videos and commentary circulating on social media.
GAB, in its statement issued on July 13, 2026, explained that banks have consistently been recognised as essential service providers in Ghana, citing a designation established during the COVID-19 pandemic under the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012) and the accompanying Executive Instrument (E.I. 65).
They added that the classification has remained unchanged under successive governments.
Parts of the statement read, “It is important to recall that during the nationwide restrictions imposed in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Ghana, acting under the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012), issued the Imposition of Restrictions (Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic) Instrument, 2020 (E.I. 65, Second Schedule, Part A, Item 13).
“This Instrument, together with subsequent instruments issued under Act 1012, expressly listed banks and other financial institutions among the essential service providers exempted from the restrictions on movement and business operations imposed during the partial lockdown of the Greater Accra and Kumasi metropolitan areas”, it stated.
They further disclosed that before the exercise, the Association engaged the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council on July 9, 2026, to seek clarification on the participation of banks and later received the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs’ directive stating that while non-essential businesses were to close between 6:00 am and 1:00 pm, institutions providing essential and emergency services were exempt.
The statement added, “As the Bank of Ghana, banks and other specialised deposit-taking institutions are listed and classified among essential service providers, member bank branches were exempted from this closure requirement”.
GAB described reports of the MP’s conduct at the bank branch as “deeply concerning and unfortunate.”
“It is against this background that GAB finds it deeply concerning and unfortunate to learn of an encounter in which a Member of Parliament is reported to have entered a member bank’s branch, forced her way to the manager’s office, and confronted branch staff including reportedly describing a staff member engaged in the clean-up exercise in demeaning terms over the branch’s decision to remain open”, the Association stated.
GAB further stressed that while it would not defend any member bank that violated a lawful government directive, it would equally not tolerate the intimidation or abuse of bank employees.
“We wish to state clearly that the branch in question remained open to the public during the exercise precisely because banks are classified as essential service providers, and that, notwithstanding this, staff of the bank actively participated in the clean-up exercise as directed by GAB and in the spirit of the President’s national call to action”, they added.
See the statement below:
@ghnow_ Okaikwei North MP blasts CalBank for disregarding President Mahama’s order to participate in the National General Cleaning Exercise. #GHNow #fyp ♬ son original – user97617855403
