Chiefs of La join ‘Hands off our Hotels’ demo
Hundreds of protesters on Tuesday converged at the frontage of the Labadi beach hotel in Accra to protest against the sale of a 60 percent stake in four hotels owned by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to Rock City Hotel, owned by Food and Agriculture Minister, Bryan Acheampong.
The demonstration dubbed “Hands Off Our Hotels” is being spearheaded by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
Traditional authorities of La who are custodians of the land on which the Labadi Beach Hotel and the La Palm Royal Beach Resort sit have also joined the demonstration to protest the sale of the two hotels.
The demonstration will begin at Labadi Beach Hotel will proceed to the Jubilee House, the seat of government where protesters will among others demand that President Akufo-Addo immediately stops the sales of the SSNIT hotels.
The hotels to be sold include Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Royal Beach Resort, Elmina Beach Resort, Ridge Royal Hotel, Busua Beach Resort, and Trust Lodge Hotel.
Mr Ablakwa has raised issues of conflict of interest, but Mr Bryan Acheampong has said he has done no wrong as he has distanced himself from the day-to-day operations of Rock City Hotel.
He said although he owns the company, he does not involve himself in the decisions that they take.
The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has also denied any foul play in its decision to sell a 60% stake in its hotels to Rock City Hotel.
According to SSNIT, the strategy to partner with an investor to raise capital to invest in their hotels, and also assist in their management, started as far back as 2018 through International Competitive Tendering (ICT) processes as prescribed by the Public Procurement Act.
But Mr Ablakwa, who has also filed a petition with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for an investigation, aims to halt the sale and bring attention to what he describes as “state capture.”
